To Shatter
by hitori.no.boku
Summary: Team Seven was ill prepared for the outside world. The mission to Wave Country goes terribly wrong and over the dead body of his teammate, Naruto realizes that being a shinobi, a killer, is all that it implies and sometimes even more. To Shatter: Because no one is unbreakable.
1. Iroha Part 1

To Shatter

_Even the blossoming flowers will eventually scatter…_

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

_Blood, blood everywhere._

_Naruto is slumped against the concrete, face down in a pool of his own crimson liquid. He's so cold…he's freezing. It's like there's ice in his veins. And it feels like it's so hard to move…_

_Screams ring in his ear. Loud, so, so loud. They're pitiful screams of a young, broken kunoichi and Naruto can't bear to hear them._

'_...sakura-chan…'_

_The screams are louder, ripping through the air, the pitch and tone increasing with every second._

'_Stopstopstop please', he pleads. _

_The screams cut off harshly, turning into a fit of choking, of gagging. A gurgle of blood. He clenches his fists, eyes closing as he tries to move, but he feels so slow, and he's trying to get up but he just can't…_

_It stops. And Naruto's head slumps to the ground, bare, bloodied skin touching the concrete. There are unshed tears in his eyes._

'_..sa..kura…'_

_Short coughs, labored breathing. His eyes are closed, blood dripping from his forehead, down his face. The sound of steel ringing as it clashes echoes in his mind. They sound…close? But far away? Everything's hazy…and he's so tired…_

_Naruto's numb body barely feels the massive one sided blade plunge through his chest. His mouth opens in a silent scream, eyes widening in shock, his hands twitching as he lies face down against the hard concrete._

_The blade sinks, slicing through him, forcing him down, scraping his cheek against the rough concrete. 'God it hurts so much. Kakashi-sensei…Make it stop, make it stop…' _

_The massive blade digs deeper, pinning him to the ground, tearing through his bone and muscle and blood, splattering him all over the stone underneath. The sound of heavy breathing above him turns into a deep, throaty chuckle._

"_Hurts don't it you fucking gaki", says a voice. It isn't a question and Naruto can almost hear the feral grin that he knows is plastered on the face staring down at him. His teeth grit as he bears the pain. The blade twists in Naruto's chest, taking his breath away. He bites through his tongue in sheer agony and shock. Blood splatters out of his mouth, dripping down his chin._

"_That was for my fucking arm, you stupid brat."_

_The blade twist again and the pain is unbearable for the orange clad genin. He screams too. Just like Sakura-chan... But it isn't a loud and desperate scream. It's a broken one, rough, like his vocal cords are cut._

"_That's right, scream. No one's left to save you now. You're precious teammates are dead. Dead."_

_Dead. The word echoes in his mind. Dead. No. No. . .no. Not Sakura-chan…not Sasuke-teme… He can't bear the thought. It hurts more that the blade plunged into his chest. Not his team. Not his family…_

"_Yeah that's right. Dead. And you and your washed up jounin sensei are next."_

_No! Not Kakashi-sensei! Please not Kakashi-sensei…_

"_You know, for a legend, he's been quite easy to deal with. Guess it was all hype after all. Typical leaf shinobi." _

_Momochi Zabuza laughs, dark, twisted sounds ripping from his mouth._

_A kick to the stomach. The blade sinks farther into his chest; chakra enforced steel digging through the concrete beneath him with ease. Naruto coughs up blood. He can feel his body failing but it can't end like this…it can't…_

_Somewhere in the back of his mind, he can hear someone yelling his name, screaming it in fact. It's a loud, male scream that is piercing through the air. He can hear it, just barely. And it fills him with fleeting warmth and confidence._

'_..kashi..sen..sei…'_

_The man above him pauses in his monologue, going stiff as he too hears the scream. Zabuza frowns, looking into the mist and listening as there is a lull in the sounds of combat._

"_Huh. Well would you look at that. Looks like I still have a job to do. I'll be back to finish you off slowly you brat", the man says, wrenching his blade from the bloody boy's chest. Naruto slides off the massive weapon, crumpling on the floor. He lays there for a moment. Two. And then the urgency of the situation sends what little adrenaline is left to his broken form. He tries to breath, tries to gain enough breath to yell a warning to his sensei, to let him know. But his lungs hurt so bad, so, so bad and it's so hard to breath and he just can't seem to get them to work right. All he can feel is the blood in his throat. He can't breathe…he can't breathe…_

_And he panics._

_He knows Kakashi won't be able to find him in the mist, he knows that silent killing is like second nature to Zabuza, knows that it'll be hard for Kakashi to fend off not one, but two ninja without his eyes…_

_Naruto struggles to move, even though he knows he can't. He needs to warn Kakashi-sensei…needs to let him know that Zabuza is coming… He can't end up like Sakura-chan…_

_Naruto tries. He really does. But it's no use, and he stays crumpled in a pool of ever growing blood, body achingly numb and cold._

_It can't end like this…_

_But it hurts so bad._

_He can't take it anymore._

'_Someone…help me…please…anyone…please...'_

_Nothing. And Naruto knows this is the end. That it's over. Moments pass but it feels like an eternity for the blonde. He knows he's dying. But the burning in his stomach won't go away. He's so tired. He just wants it to stop. His world fades into darkness. But the warmth keeps building in his stomach and it snakes out and feeds his limbs and his chest and suddenly he can breathe. He takes a choked breath, bloody lungs filling briefly with oxygen. He gasps, the warmth expanding to the rest of his body, and now it feels like he's on fire._

_The demon sealed inside him has answered his call. And its blood red, malevolent chakra is a testament to its self-preservation._

_Naruto only has a second to ponder what has motivated the Kyuubi into helping him before the thin layer of demonic chakra covering his body explodes in a painful crimson blaze._

_This time, Naruto can't scream._

* * *

Blood splattered across the dirt road as the sound of whirring chains filled the air.

"Kakashi-sensei!" they screamed.

They'd been ambushed. By a stupid, stupid disguise no less. Naruto cursed internally, watching Kakashi's bloody body fall to the ground in pieces.

Really? A couple puddles? How had they not noticed?

The two ninja were coming toward them, black cloaks and gauntlets menacing in the shadows of the trees. Right next to him, Naruto could feel Sakura tense, could sense the worry leaking from her body.

"One down", he heard one of the ninja say, the breather around his mouth masking his voice with heavy static. Their gauntlets were sharp, glinting in the light and Naruto could see something dripping down them…

"Poison", he heard Sakura whisper. Naruto grimaced, too late to stop Sasuke, who had charged ahead blindly to intercept the two ninja and not heard Sakura's low murmur. Forming a familiar hand seal, Naruto muttered the name of his now favorite technique and three Kage Bunshin appeared next to him in small puffs of smoke.

He ignored Tazunza's speculative and worried look and instead focused on the situation. The two unknown ninja were engag…wait. One ninja had occupied Sasuke and the smaller, more agile of the two was now making a beeline straight toward Sakura, who was still tense and shocked. But that didn't make sense. If they were taking down strong ninja first, they'd go for him and not…

Naruto's eyes widened, turning to Tazuna who met his gaze, flinching.

The bridge builder. Naruto cursed, moving into action almost too late.

"Sakura!" he yelled, flinging his body toward the two of them, "Protect Tazuna!"

Naruto's shout broke the little spell hanging over the green eyed girl and she barely got a kunai out in time to block a vicious slash from the attacking ninja. Naruto rushed to her aid, his kage bunshin running the other way to help an embattled Sasuke.

Sakura dodged another attack and Naruto was on the other nin, his strike to the back landing true. The nin stumbled and Naruto followed up with another kick, his kunai flashing toward the shinobi's head. But the man just dodged, head bending back, his legs sweeping out…

"Oh shi-"

Naruto landed hard as he was swept from his feet. The ninja was heading toward Sakura, chain whipping out to wrap around her… Naruto could see the panic in her eyes, could see glint of fear and desperation. He pushed himself off the ground, dirt grinding beneath his feet. He wasn't going to make it. He wasn't quick enough. The chains were almost around her…

And then it was all over.

Silver hair glinted dully in the sunlight.

"Kakashi-sensei…" Naruto breathed. The silver haired jounin was kneeling on top of the now unconscious ninja, hand forcing the man's head into the dirt.

"Yo." Kakashi said with a wave of his gloved hand.

Naruto pulled himself to his feet, head turning to see Sasuke and one of his remaining Kage Bunshin walking toward them, the body of the enemy ninja slumped between the two. Kakashi gave his students an appraising look.

"Nice job you three", he said, "You acted quickly and efficiently. You might have been a bit too rash," he looked at Sasuke, "A bit too slow," he looked at Sakura, "Or a bit too hesitant", he looked at Naruto. He gave them all a speculative look.

"But you three did far better than I had expected. Especially against ex-mist chuunin like the Demon Brothers."

His three students basked in his praise. Kakashi just stared at the three, the gears in his head grinding furiously. Perhaps…

"But sensei, we thought…how did you…?" Sakura asked, stumbling over her question.

"Kawarimi", Kakashi, drawn away from his thoughts momentarily, responded, eye crinkling in a small smile, "You never know the value of a good Konoha log."

His students smiled at that, happy to have their jounin sensei back. Sasuke and Naruto, now that his shadow clone had been dispelled, rolled the semi-conscious ninja next to the knocked out one. Sakura stood back, away from Tazuna as she watched Kakashi's one visible eye narrow. The man's orb swiveled around and fixed on the only non-ninja present.

Tazuna.

Naruto knew **exactly** where this was headed.

Hand still pressed against the mist ninja's head, the jounin gave the old drunk a hard, dangerous stare.

"So tell me, Tazuna-san, why are two ex-Hidden Mist chuunin after a lowly bridge builder like yourself?"

* * *

"I don't think we should."

This had been surprising.

"Naruto, but he needs our help… We can't just abandon him!"

Kakashi watched his team argue; glad that view from above obstructed the shocked expression that was no doubt visible even beneath his mask.

"…But he lied to us."

For once, and it was surprising to the copy nin, Naruto was to the one to voice his objection over helping another person. Sakura and Sasuke weren't really sure what had brought this sudden train of thought, but Naruto wasn't budging. Kakashi knew, of course. How could he not? Naruto had been lied to his whole life… Something like this, being lied to and being put in danger needlessly didn't sit well with the orphan.

"Why are you so worried dobe? We can handle it." Said Sasuke, predictably eager and willing to continue with a dangerous mission. The raven haired boy was fiddling with a kunai, eyes narrowed at the blonde in front of him. From his perch in the tree above his three students, Kakashi listened, taking careful note of the conversation.

"I just have a bad feeling, that's all. There could be more ninja that are really dangerous!" said Naruto, clearly agitated over the situation.

"Tch."

"Naruto, I think we can handle it. After all, Kakashi-sensei will be with us. And this country really needs our help." Sakura explained, taking Sasuke's side in the argument. Naruto just sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Look, all I'm saying is that we could be in way over our heads. He lied to us and that's putting us as a team at risk…"

The three debated some more and Kakashi waited. He'd let his genin figure it out. He wanted this to be a joint decision. A team effort.

"…But okay. You're right. Kakashi-sensei is with us. We can do it." Naruto had finally relented.

Sasuke 'hnned'. The three genin paused in their conversation, and Naruto looked up; blue eyes fixing on Kakashi's long form sitting on the branch above them.

"Well you heard us sensei, what now?"

The ninja gave them a long look, silent while he contemplated his team's decision. They were strong. They'd been exhibiting excellent and rare team work… Naruto and Sasuke hadn't been at each other's throats and Sakura seemed to have calmed down… They could do it… It'd be a good experience.

Kakashi gave the three a slow nod.

"I'll let Tazuna know", he said, blurring into the shadows. The genin of Team Seven glanced at each other briefly, and then gathered their things, shuffling away to meet Kakashi on the dirt road again.

Naruto was behind his two teammates, the last one onto the dirt path. He glanced at Sakura and Sasuke. They were strong. They could do it. Thoughts swirled in Naruto's mind and emotions bubbled within him. They'd been working well together, and plus, they had Kakashi-sensei! Naruto bit his lip, taking surprisingly little comfort at the thought as he stood behind Sasuke. With all of the things stacked in their favor, Naruto still couldn't shake the feeling that something was **wrong**. Silently, he walked behind his teammates, the pit in his stomach never settling.

* * *

The sound of death screamed over their heads.

Naruto tilted, eyes turning to the side as he heard a loud sound of a blade lodging in the trunk of a tree. And a blade it was indeed, he thought, eyes widening. Almost six feet of cold metal, sharp, the edge a dull black color and the rest of the steel gleaming, was stuck fast in the trunk of a wide, strong oak tree. Naruto gulped.

There was a man standing on top of the blade, muscled and sinewy, body obviously tensed, but his posture screamed confidence. Bandages were wrapped over his arms, legs and his lower mouth, making Naruto wonder what the dark man could be hiding.

Team Seven began to slowly get to their feet, following their sensei's lead, who in turn began to bark orders to them.

"Triangle formation. Now."

The three genin took up their stations around a shaking Tazuna. The man standing on his blade just scoffed. He eyed the Konoha ninja, dark orbs lingering on Kakashi.

"Hah. Sharingan no Kakashi. It's a pleasure." The man's voice was deep, rough and raspy as if unused.

Out of the corner of his eye, Naruto saw Sasuke stiffen. Why? Sharingan…? Wasn't that an Uchiha clan thing? How could Kakashi…? Naruto frowned. Sasuke must have been wondering the same thing. The blonde kept an eye on the black haired boy, pondering what this could mean.

"Momochi Zabuza. Demon of the Mist. I'd have to say that I don't return your sentiment. Leave." Kakashi's voice was cold, extremely so.

Zabuza laughed.

"Just leave? Not likely. I have a mission to fulfill, so just give me the old man Kakashi and you can keep your little wannabe ninjas safe."

Kakashi glared at the ex-Mist nin.

"As if I'd trust the word of a man who turned his back on his graduating class and slaughtered them all."

The three genin froze behind him. Sakura's eyes widened and Naruto shuddered. Slaughtered his whole class? That was unbelievable…

Zabuza grinned beneath his mouth bandages, a twisted, wicked smile.

"Mist is a different place Kakashi. Give me the bridge builder. You won't last in a fight when you're trying to protect those brats."

The man flared his chakra, and suddenly the whole area was flooded with killing intent. Sakura immediately sank to the ground, knees falling to the dirt. Sasuke was wide eyed, frozen in fear as the feeling washed over him. Naruto just clenched his fist, teeth gritting as feeling of fear, anger, and anguish flooded through him.

We're weak. We're just going to die. It's no use. It's no use.

"Stop."

Kakashi radiated his own chakra, blue glow flowing out to touch his students. The energy was comforting, soothing almost. The three genin relaxed slightly, the effects of the killing intent held at bay by the warmth of their sensei's chakra.

"I won't let you die."

Zabuza scoffed, crouching down on his blade.

"I gave you a chance copy-nin."

Kakashi said nothing.

"Tch. So be it."

Zabuza flickered out of existence. His deep voice echoed in the wake of his departure.

"Kirigakure no jutsu."

The light mist around them began to thicken. Kakashi looked back at his students, one eye gazing on their faces. They were scared. Perhaps… Perhaps he should have listened to Naruto… But it was too late. Trial by fire.

"Don't worry", he said, chakra flowing out more, bathing his three genin, "I won't let anything happen to you. Just keep a straight head, be aware of your surroundings and stay on your toes."

A gloved hand moved up toward his headband. It'd been a while since he'd used it. But there was no time like the present. He heard a sharp intake of breath as he pulled his Konoha headband up, knowing his students eyes were upon him.

His blood red sharingan swirled into existence, three black tomoe swiveling in his eye.

"Oh?", said a voice from deep within the mist. "The sharingan already? I feel honored."

Kakashi ignored the low chuckling that followed, electing to speak to the three genin behind him.

"Zabuza is an ex Mist jounin. He relies on stealth attacks, water ninjutsu and intimidation tactics. Don't let him get to you but don't try to go toe to toe with him. He's far too strong. Focus on Tazuna, I'll hand Zabuza." His three students nodded, one still looking intently at his uncovered eye.

"Do you think telling them that will help? It's no use Kakashi. They're far too young. Too bad they'll never live to actually be a challenge."

Kakashi whirled around, flickering out of view. The kunai in his hand pierced through the eye a water clone that had been sneaking up behind Sakura.

"You won't win Zabuza. You're no match for me. Give up.", he called into the mist. The grip on his kunai tightened even as he soothed a panicked Sakura with his lightly glowing chakra.

The ex-Mist nin just chuckled.

"I don't have to beat you Kakashi. I just have to exploit those three little ninja brats you decided to let tag along. Hah…"

Kakashi looked into the mist, sharingan swirling.

"Now… Lungs, heart or throat?"

The soft sound of metal swinging in the air alerted the silver haired jounin and he only had a moment to block the swing of steel toward Tazuna, his metal arm guards barely holding against Zabuza's massive blade. The man smirked as Kakashi shoved a kunai into his stomach, water leaking out from his wound.

'Trap!' thought Kakashi, whirling around, eyes wide. He was too late to stop the boot that caught him in the chest, sending his body flying back and into heavy, heavy water.

'Shit, heavy water…?' Kakashi surfaced, struggling to pull himself out with his chakra. But he wasn't fast enough.

"Suirou no justu." A ball of liquid coiled its way around the Konoha jounin. Zabuza laughed, a rough sound ripping from his chest.

"Hah! This is Sharingan no Kakashi, Copy nin Kakashi? This is it? How easy." The man stood on the surface of the water, arm outstretched, holding Kakashi still while the other gripped his massive blade. His gaze traveled to the three genin still standing in the dirt path.

"Now… What to do with you three?"

Two water clones burst into life.

"RUN!" Kakashin yelled, his words muffled by the ball of liquid surrounding him. "He'll just kill you! Leave me! That's an order!"

Naruto looked uncertainly at his two teammates. Leave Kakashi-sensei? Sakura looked to be considering it already, shaking with fear. Sasuke was quiet, staring at the mist nin, eyes glazed over.

Shit. Both of his teammates were useless. He needed to do something, anything to break them away and anything to take their attention. And Naruto knew how to draw attention. Naruto's fingers came together after only another moment, throwing caution to the wind.

"KAGE BUNSHIN!"

A horde of Narutos swarmed over the dirt path, all with determined, cocky grins on their faces. Some fingered kunai, others just stared at the mist nin, eyes narrowed.

"As if we'd let you take Kakashi-sensei without a fight!"

Zabuza merely eyed the blonde, scoffing.

"You? Kill him."

The two mizu bunshin raced toward Naruto. The first one cleaved three shadow clones in half.

'Well shit', thought the blonde, watching Zabuza's clones systematically slaughter his own. His fingers folded into a cross seal again, and more kage bunshin sprang to life. At least it would be a distraction while he thought of a plan…

He fingered the kunai in his hand, thumb pressing against the sharp edge. They needed to get it together. He turned to his two teammates, noticing that Sasuke was starting to come out of his reverie. Sakura still looked lost. Naruto ground his teeth in frustration, the dispelling sounds of his shadow clones coming closer and closer. Why the hell weren't they moving?

"Hey! You guys! Any freaking time now."

A kunai flung from Sasuke's hand toward a water clone was the response that Naruto had been waiting for.

"Bout time teme."

Sasuke hurled another kunai, forcing the mizu bunshin to dodge and allowing Naruto's shadow clones to swarm.

"Shut up dobe."

Naruto grinned, his hands crossing into another seal. Another kunai whipped by him. One mizu bunshin took it in the stomach, stumbling as a shadow clone sunk another into its chest, dispelling it into water. Across the dirt road, Zabuza just laughed, summoning another clone, taunting the two genin. Naruto drowned it out, muttering to Sasuke.

"I've got a plan."

The black haired boy raised an eyebrow, another kunai twirling on his index finger. He watched Naruto's clones duke it out, the small puffs of smoke becoming more and more frequent.

"That's surprising."

Naruto ignored him.

"Get Sakura to start throwing kunai with you. Snap her out of whatever is going on in her head. She'll listen to you. I need to get close to Zabuza. Take these."

He slid a handful of kunai into Sasuke's pouch. The Uchiha gave him a sidelong glance. Naruto just smiled.

"They're me. Get them as close to Zabuza as you can."

With that, Naruto dove headlong into the fight, ignoring Sasuke's incredulous look. They were him? Did he mean his? That didn't make sense…

Sasuke's eyes widened as understanding hit him. He fingered the kunai is his pouch. They were 'him'… But if that was true…

"Sakura!" he barked, eyes swiveling to the pink haired girl. No response.

"Sakura! Snap out of it!" he said again, frustration seeping into his tone. This time the girl's head snapped up.

Sasuke tossed her three kunai Naruto had given him. The girl looked down at the weapons, a question on her lips.

"Throw them as close to Zabuza as possible. Naruto has a plan."

Sakura looked shocked, but wisely cut off any more questions, gripping the kunai. Sasuke nodded approvingly and the two genin slung their blades toward the original mist ninja. They fell short, digging into the dirt around Zabuza.

He laughed, a rough, twisted sound.

"Hah, you missed. You kids are even more pitiful than I thought. Konoha's gone soft. I thought you'd be fun, but I guess I'll just kill you and get it over with."

More mizu bunshin were summoned, their forms blurring out of the water and racing toward the remaining clones and the two genin. Sasuke gripped his kunai, looking expectantly at the ground around Zabuza.

Kakashi watched the raven haired genin. What was he looking at? Was he contemplating his miss? The copy ninja didn't understand. His student were about to die and he was useless. Sasuke was just staring at the ground, ignoring the approaching water clones and Sakura looked lost and nervous. Naruto's clones were being decimated… Wait…

The kunai in front of Zabuza wavered, four blades changing shape so quickly that the mist ninja had no time to react.

"Wha-"

Sasuke smirked and Kakashi's eye widened.

The first Naruto latched onto Zabuza's sword arm. The second was dispelled as it tried to attack Zabuza's head, killed by a vicious head butt, but the third and fourth, the real Naruto, did their jobs perfectly. The shadow clone gripped the man's arm tightly. The real Naruto broke it.

A low yell ripped from Zabuza's throat as the water barrier around Kakashi dissolved.

"I'm going to **fucking KILL** **you** brat!"

The man flared his chakra, pushing himself onto the water as he flung the orange clad blondes away. The two shadow clones dispelled and the real Naruto found himself floating in heavy water, looking up at the cold eyes of Zabuza.

His massive blade flashed down and Naruto winced.

Nothing. The blonde cracked open his eyes. Kakashi stood there, water dripping down his hair.

"I'll take it from here." Kakashi was gripping Zabuza's sword hand, a kunai held to the man's throat. The ex-Mist nin's eyes were wide with surprise, one arm hanging useless by his side. His brown orbs looked at Kakashi's own, staring at the crimson sharingan and its tomoe that spun slowly. He felt something welling up in his gut as the black dots spun more rapidly, blurring together with every passing second. Fear.

"I see your future Zabuza."

The swirling sharingan spun to a halt.

"And it's death."

* * *

'Please please please please don't let me be too late.'

Naruto's body blurred through the empty streets.

He'd woken up late, left behind by his teammates because they thought that it'd be alright. Thought that Zabuza wouldn't show up so soon. Thought that Gato wouldn't make his move so early, so quickly.

They'd been wrong.

Naruto had awoken to the sound of screams, high wails of terror and pain. His eyes had snapped open and he listened carefully, years and years of avoiding villagers ingrained into his mind. He heard the yells, the threats of death, a crying Tsunami and a blubbering, but brave Inari.

He'd smiled at that.

And then he'd moved into action.

The two samurai had been nothing really, even to Naruto. Untrained in stealth and lacking the physical strength of ninja conditioning, they fell quickly; their speed and precision lacking. The blonde hadn't even been focusing, dispatching the two thugs unfocused, his mind a battlefield away. The whole time Naruto had just been thinking about his team. Sasuke. Sakura. Kakashi. Because if Gato was making his move, then Zabuza was making his as well.

And he'd be out for blood.

So he ran. And ran and ran and ran. As fast as his feet would carry him, he sped to the bridge, all the while thinking of a black haired boy, a pink haired girl and a man with one eye.

Naruto was close now, could hear the sounds of jutsu going off, could hear the faint sounds of ringing metal, even though the mist thickening around him. He let a breath he didn't know he was holding. They were still alive, still fighting. There was still time.

Naruto jumped, landing softly in a crouch against the concrete bridge. His eyes swiveled. It was damn hard to see in the mist and he squinted his blue eyes, straining to get a grip of the situation.

Where was everyone? He knew he'd heard the sounds of a fight… But…what if…what if…he was too late? Panic settled into the blonde genin's bones as he crept across the bridge, ears listening intently for anything.

A soft step of a sandal was like a thunderbolt behind him and he whirled around, a kunai already held firmly in his hand.

A mask stared at him, only a few feet away, expressionless face tilted to the side just a little. Naruto slid into a defensive stance, eyeing the ninja who was garbed in baggy robes and pants. The ninja only cocked his head, staring at him for a few moments. After what seemed like an eternity of silence, he spoke.

"You're too late." His (surprisingly soft, Naruto noted) voice intoned, almost monotone in its delivery. The blonde genin gripped his kunai harder at these words, a sinking feeling beginning to take form in his stomach. There was so much finality in his voice…

"What do you mean I'm too late? Where's my team? What happened?" Naruto questioned, a million thoughts already racing through his mind. The masked ninja only tilted his head again, as if curious.

"Did you not understand? You're too late. It's over."

Naruto balled his fists, nails digging hard into his skin. 'It can't be over…'

"Tell me. Where are my team mates?" he demanded, his voice low.

"The pink haired one? I do not know. But the Uchiha…"

The ninja paused, as if weighing what he was about to say.

"…Your team mate failed. He was too arrogant, too headstrong. So I killed him."

Naruto froze. Time stopped. His eyes widened and his back went ramrod straight.

"Wh…what did you say?"

Sasuke…dead? It couldn't be. It just couldn't be.

The masked shinobi spread his hands out wide and his voice held a tone of amusement and pity.

"Is this your first time having a comrade die? Don't worry, you will follow him soon."

Naruto's eyes narrowed. Like hell he would. This ninja…he…he killed Sasuke. Killed. His friend. His damn friend. Naruto knew one thing. He wasn't going to die. Not now. Not to this person. Not here on this damn bridge. He would survive. He would avenge Sasuke. Hatred reared its head within Naruto and a low growl formed in his throat.

"I'm going to **kill** you" Naruto snarled, raising his kunai. The ninja just stared at him, as if laughing.

"You're welcome to try…Naruto-kun."

Naruto started, jerking back.

"How do you know my name…?" he growled.

The ninja laughed, the light sounds so open and mocking. The laugh was so familiar…

"You are a brash and bold ninja. You are brave. But you are also a fool. You give your name and your skills and your goals out freely to strangers you've never met before…"

The shinobi began to walk, circling Naruto like he was prey. The blonde gripped his kunai tighter, gaze swiveling with the other man.

"…You shout them aloud. You scream them. You tell them to everyone, anyone who will listen. Even poor civilians who are just trying to gather herbs in the forest…"

Naruto flinched, as if hit. This ninja…this person was the 'girl' he'd met in the forest…? This **person** killed Sasuke…? This was **Haku**? He couldn't believe it… If that was true…then…

_Morning in the forest. Lying flat out on the ground, gazing up at the trees. Light filtering down._

"_What's your name…?"_

_Long black hair. Soft brown eyes._

"_I'm Uzumaki Naruto! And I'm going to be Hokage!"_

_Gentle hands guiding his to the right herbs._

"_How come your teammates are not around training with you…?"_

_A grunt of frustration._

"_Sasuke thinks he's too good to train with me… Sometimes he's such a teme… He doesn't even have a sharingan yet!"_

_Calming words._

"_And what of your teacher? Surely you have one?_

_A sigh. Callused hands folding leaves._

"_Kakashi-sensei is still resting… He's pretty banged up. I think it'll be a while before he's all rested. Which sucks because I really want him to train me!_

_A soft goodbye._

Naruto's face grew pale.

"You see?" said Haku, still circling the blonde, watching the expressions flash across his face. "You trust too easily. You believed the sob story of someone you'd never met before…someone you talked to for mere minutes. You spilled everything to me."

Naruto clenched his jaw. That wasn't true…

"You spilled your secrets…you spilled your teammates secrets. You got them killed. You killed your friend."

No no no no. He didn't kill Sasuke. He didn't. He didn't mean to … he didn't want to hurt anyone!

"You betrayed them…" continued Haku, "…Because you were desperate. Desperate for acknowledgement. You still are. And desperation attracts people like me. You were an easy target Naruto-kun. And it was simple to devise a strategy to take care of everything based on your information. I'm sorry it's come to this."

And then he struck. Haku blurred into the mist as Naruto tore himself to pieces with grief. How could he have been so stupid? How could he have sold them all out? So distracted by inner turmoil, the blonde didn't block the kick swinging toward his head. He barely put up any defense when the fist slammed into his stomach and his counterattacks were feeble as he was swept from his feet and his chest stomped on.

Coughing up blood, he rolled to his knees, dazed. He wasn't going down without a fight… Not when he'd already failed his teammates once. Kage bunshin sprang to life around him as he formed seals, a small sea of orange appearing in the mist.

But it wasn't enough.

Haku tore them apart, speeding through the clones with years of practices ease. Naruto summoned more, but Haku would just appear somewhere else and attack from the mist, his mirrors allowing him to disappear in mere seconds. For every clone that Naruto created, Haku destroyed two or more in the same span of time. Water froze, ice shattered and shadows were destroyed in minutes.

Haku blurred and Naruto struggled to keep up. But it wasn't enough. Icicles pierced through his body, pinning him to the concrete and then suddenly it was over, Haku standing over him with an air of finality. Naruto struggled to move, even as blood leaked out of his mouth and down his chin, struggled to get up, to do something. Haku gazed at him, hands folding in seals.

"You are strong. You have heart. You fight for your precious people, as do I. But you are too slow and too weak. Goodbye Uzumaki Naruto."

No! It couldn't end like this! Naruto pushed against the concrete, arms shaking. Haku formed a final seal. The air froze. Naruto flung his body up, blood leaking from his frame and his muscles tearing in his haste.

But it was too late.

As Haku's technique ended, and the air around them condensed into millions of ice particles, Naruto could only stare and think.

'I failed.'

Darkness claimed him in the form of a myriad of frosty needles.

* * *

Deep chuckling, low and throaty.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

"…**up**…."

Drip. Drip. Drip.

"…**stupid**…**ape**…**up!**"

A dark room. Silent except for the sounds of dripping water. Heat. Intense, raging fire.

Naruto gasped for air.

A low snarl. A gaping maw and a row of wide teeth. Molten lava dripping to the floor.

"**UP!**"

* * *

Naruto's eyes snapped open.

"Oh good. You're still awake."

Blue eyes whirled wildly around. Naruto's vision was blurry, blonde hair hanging over his face. There was a man sitting next him, a hulking figure with bandages wrapped around his body. Naruto tried to breath, choking on his own blood as he took in a rattling breath. Kami, what had happened…hadn't Haku killed him…?

He tried to move, but his body wouldn't respond and his energy had all but fled. Naruto slumped against the ground, listening.

"Hm, you wizened up and stopped struggling. Smart kid."

Naruto's eyes jumped to the crouching form of Zabuza next to him. The man wasn't facing the blonde, but rather fiddling with something a ways behind him. Naruto was curious but couldn't turn his head to see what was happening. He heard Zabuza mutter, heard the slap of his hand on flesh. A cry of pain. Whimpering and then…

"…Naruto!...Naruto…help!"

Naruto's eyes widened and his head snapped to the side, trying to get a view of what was going on behind him.

"…S…Saku..ra…chan..?"

He heard the pink haired girl try to respond, but her voice was silenced by another quick slap from the swordsman.

"Shut up dumb girl", Zabuza growled.

He turned his attention to Naruto and the blonde could hear the venom in his voice.

"Can you hear her whimpering? What a joke."

He kicked her, earning a gasp of pain from Sakura. The girl writhed on the floor and Zabuza just threw his head back and laughed. He turned to the blonde again, now noticing that Naruto was again struggling to move, glaring at him with hatred burning in his eyes. This made the ex-mist nin laugh louder, smirking at the two genin.

"Oh? She's precious to you isn't she? Do you like her? Heh…that will make this more interesting."

Naruto just struggled, his teeth bared at the "Demon of the Mist". The man chuckled some more, standing, grabbing Sakura by the throat and pulling her up with him. The girl let out a strangled noise, eyes swiveling wildly in her head.

"Tell you what. I was going to have a little fun with you kid… but now I'm going to give you a lesson here."

Panic set in to Naruto. He looked up at Sakura, still in Zabuza's clutches, and looked back down at the man's twisted expression beneath his face bandages. Zabuza watched his eyes, looking at the blonde as he spoke.

"I'm going to torture her. Slowly. Just so you can see everything. How's that?"

Naruto froze. No no no. Not another one. Not Sakura-chan. Anyone but Sakura-chan. Please. Please. Not her. Him instead! Not her! The blonde tried to talk, to force his crushed and weak body to shout.

"…Kashi…sensei…p..please…no…"

But it was no use. His throat was raw and bloody, his lungs failing. His gaze met Sakura's panicked one. She looked so scared…so tired…so helpless.

'Help…' she mouthed, '...Help me.' And Naruto's heart fell. He needed to save her…but…but…

Zabuza just laughed some more.

"Heh, try to call for your sensei. He's a bit too busy right now. He can't save you. If you'd like I'll tell Haku to give him a message…heh."

Naruto felt sick. He tried to turn away. Tried to pull his gaze away from Sakura's panicked green orbs. Tried to close his tired eyelids.

"No, no, don't turn away. I'm going to make you watch. Open your eyes. OPEN YOUR EYES."

He did. And he met Sakura's own sad face.

"There you go. Good. Now watch. Listen. But more importantly, watch."

Sakura was still staring into his eyes. She looked betrayed…hopeless…resigned…

'…It's your fault…' her jade orbs screamed.

And Naruto flinched away from her gaze.

'…I'm sorry…'

She just looked at him, eyes empty.

'…I know…'

Zabuza's cold brown eyes looked upon the girl.

And a few feet away from Naruto…it began.

The other ninja talked to him, his voice low as he did his work.

"Can you hear her scream? See her begging for her life? This one was never meant to be a ninja. What a pathetic bitch."

She cried. She whimpered. She screamed. Naruto winced and flinched with every noise, with every sound of a hopeful, dying kunoichi.

"I'm teaching you a lesson boy. A very good one. Too bad you won't live to use it, heh."

She bled. Her saliva and blood mixed with her sweat and dripped down her body. Soaked into her skin…into her hair.

"See the blood? See it? SEE IT?! This is what it means to be shinobi. This is what it means to be a killer."

The smell of urine filled the air and Naruto's head bowed, tears leaking from his eyes. It wasn't supposed to be like this. Not like this. Not to his beautiful Sakura-chan.

"Listen to her screams. **Listen** to them."

Bones broke. Shattering. Splintering. Naruto choked, listening to Sakura's screams. Listening to her ragged breathing, to her strangled sounds of pain. Tears fell freely from his face. This wasn't supposed to happen…

After a while…it stopped. A bloody kunai clattered to the ground.

"I killed her", said Zabuza, staring down at Naruto, "Well almost; she'll bleed out in a few minutes. Aren't you angry? Can you feel your rage boiling? Can you feel your hatred burning?"

Naruto looked up at Zabuza's tall frame, eyes bright with tears. Frustration. Anger. He looked at Sakura's broken body, looked at her empty eyes.

'I'll kill you dammit…I'll fucking kill you…'

Zabuza spoke to the blonde in a low voice.

"And yet, you're useless. There's nothing you can do. Nothing..."

His voice trailed off.

"Now…I'll finish the job. Stay here…heh."

Footsteps faded away.

Naruto listened to Zabuza kill her. He listened to Sakura's blood clogged throat as he strangled her to death. He listened to her choke on her own saliva, on her own blood. He listened as the sounds stopped. He listened to a mad man's chuckles.

He felt the blade tear and wrench through him. He felt the pain. Felt the torture that Zabuza was inflicting on his body. But he couldn't seem to care.

'Sasuke…'

Naruto felt his body go numb. Felt his throat constricting.

'…Sakura…'

He felt his lungs failing. Felt his vision go blurry. Felt his body fading away. Naruto felt fear.

'…Kakashi…'

Naruto could feel himself **dying**.

'…Why can't I protect anyone…?'

And for the first time in a very long time…Naruto felt something foreign…something not his. A feeling that was within him, but that didn't belong to him. There was a chuckling somewhere deep in the recesses of his mind.

'…Why am I so weak…?'

A second later, Naruto's rage blossomed within him, a ravenous fire.

And then he knew no more.

* * *

Drip. Dr-ip.

"**Feh…pathetic. I give you a little bit of my power to make you wake up and you lose again. Now I have to lend you some more so that I can continue living, you pathetic monkey.**"

Massive teeth loomed in front of a small blonde on his knees. His eyes were wide, gazing up at a bubbling mass of swirling chakra.

"…Ky…Kyuubi?"

"**Who else would be trapped inside you, idiot human? I should just eat you now and be done with this.**"

A wide grin shown in the darkness and chakra pressed up against the gates of the massive seal. Naruto stared at the demon fox, fists balled, unperturbed with the blistering heat emanating from malevolent red chakra.

"I…I need more power Kyuubi…" he said softly, "I need to win…"

Kyuubi's grin widened and the chakra around him bubbled fiercely.

"**Oh, I know. Take it.**"

Chakra exploded around Naruto. The blonde's blue eyes were hard as he locked his gaze with that of the demon fox.

"…Thank you…"

Heat consumed Naruto in a wave of blood red chakra. Kyuubi roared with laughter.

"**Kill them all, human.**"

* * *

His fist was covered in blood.

"ZABUZA-SAMA!"

Someone was screaming.

His fist was wreathed in crimson chakra. He was staring into the eyes of some man. They were wide with shock, mouth open in a silent scream. A massive steel blade clattered to the concrete, blood dripping from its handle.

He looked down at his hand, still half buried inside the man's chest, chakra flickering and burning the man's skin away.

His hand was pulled out of the chest cavity with a sickening squelch and the man slumped to the floor, blood bursting from his fatal wound.

He twisted in time to avoid an icicle aimed for his head, clawed hand reaching up and snatching the chakra enhanced project from the air, crushing it within his grip. He batted the next two from the air, chakra flaring around his arm.

He met a masked ninja in combat. He was fast. He was strong. But he was not enough of either. Red chakra bled from his body, swirling around him.

Porcelain shattered, pieces littering the floor around them.

His claws gripped the man by the neck, holding him in the air. He looked…familiar… There was pity…hatred…and sadness…and anger…and…happiness in his eyes.

He crushed the man's windpipe.

The body fell to the floor.

Clapping.

Red, slitted eyes turned quickly.

There was a fat man in a suit. Clapping. For what?

"A very nice display, little boy. Very nice indeed. It's a same your sensei and you will have to go as well. Powerful. But dangerous. The bridge builder will be next, but it will only be a matter of time."

There were men behind him. Armed. Dozens. Fighters. Killers. Many of them. There was shuffling next to him and he turned briefly, eyeing the new comer that stood a ways off into the mist. Silver hair. Mask. Deadly. But just one.

He turned back in time to hear the fat man speak.

"…Kill them."

The men charged, a swarm of rough, rag tag soldiers and mercenaries streaming across the bridge.

His mind was made up.

Red chakra and killing intent saturated the air, so much that Kakashi froze in his place and Gato's men running across the bridge faltered, taking a minute to regain their courage. But by then, their blood was already being spilt across the concrete by a small boy wreathed in demonic chakra.

Kakashi watched in morbid fascination as Naruto ripped apart the mercenaries. His claws sunk into their bodies and his chakra flayed skin from their limbs, wrenching away body parts and piercing through their flesh.

A single red tail, newly formed, waved behind the blonde.

The swirling mass of energy protected Naruto from any attacks, simple steel melting against the corrosive power and heat of Kyuubi's chakra. The world around the young blonde was on fire, everything that the crimson chakra touched sparking and coming to life. Wood, steel and concrete alike burned beneath his touch.

Slowly, the mercenaries died. Some bled to death, some burned to death. But the rest, Naruto chased across the bridge and executed, painfully.

Kakashi simply stared, sinking to his knees from chakra exhaustion and plain disbelief.

What had happened to make Naruto unleash the Kyuubi…? Surely not Sasuke and Sakura…?

The weight that had settled in Kakashi stomach since the start of the battle increased tenfold and his heart dropped. His students…not his students…

Kakashi clenched his fist, biting his lip beneath his mask. If Sakura and Sasuke were…dead… Then he had to save Naruto… He couldn't give up.

The copy ninja got to his feet, wavering slightly as his vision was dotted with black.

A low snarl ripped across the bridge and Kakashi watched as Naruto slit Gato's pleading throat open, spraying his blood over his already tarnished uniform. The man's short, fat, dismembered body slumped to the ground amid the other bodies that were dead or dying.

Silence. The sound of fire crackling in the background.

Kakashi met Naruto's gaze as the blonde looked up at him, red eyes glowing in the bloody mist.

'…This is it…'

Naruto leapt toward him, Kyuubi enhanced jump propelling him across the bridge. Kakashi braced himself, pulling his last chakra from within his body, forming it in his hand. The sound of a thousand birds ripped through the air and lightning leapt to his clenched fist, chakra shrieking. He had one shot. His chakra was gone, his body tired and torn. Light danced around his body and his sharingan swirled in agitation.

Naruto was walking toward him, chakra glowing menacingly. The shroud that had been covering him had vanished. And now…now was Kakashi's chance to strike him down. To prevent to Kyuubi from being unleashed completely.

They stood, the sound of chidori in the air around them.

This was his chance.

His only chance.

But he couldn't.

Couldn't hurt Naruto. His sensei's legacy.

Kakashi stared at the blonde, unable to strike him with the lightning blade and lowered his arm, letting the chakra dissipate into the air. He thought he saw a flicker of something in the blonde's eyes, but it was gone quickly.

'So…this is how it ends…losing all of my students…and dying by my sensei's son's hand…the Kyuubi unleashed…'

The copy ninja sank to his knees, already feeling the blistering heat from the demon foxes chakra as Naruto neared. He bowed his head, waiting for death to come.

Silence. The heat from Naruto's chakra faded.

Orange swam into his vision and the blonde sank to his knees in front of the jounin. Bloody legs met concrete.

Kakashi's head slowly tilted up.

There were tears in Naruto's blue eyes. He looked so lost… His chakra was dissipating and those haunting, sad azure eyes were showing through again. And there was nothing but pain in them.

"Wh…what?" said Kakashi softly.

Naruto's small frame fell forward, in free fall. Kakashi moved to catch him, sliding under the blonde as he slumped against the older ninja, chakra having been completely burnt out. Kakashi, unsure of what to do, awkwardly wrapped his arms around the boy.

"It…it's okay Naruto", he murmured, trying to comfort him. But the blonde just cried, clutching Kakashi's bloody vest.

"…what did I do...what did I do…"

Naruto's grip on Kakashi tightened and the older man could feel the blonde's body shaking. Kakashi held Naruto closer, tighter.

"…Sakura…Sasuke…I couldn't…I couldn't save them…"

The blonde shook even harder in Kakashi's grasp, hiccupping, his words coming out strangled.

"…I…I killed them…I killed them all…"

Naruto cried, tears streaming down his face.

"…K..kashi…sensei…I'm so…so…sorry…"

Kakashi just held the blonde in his arms as his body wracked with sobs.

The bridge around them burned.

* * *

An: Well, what do you think?

Thanks to puffdadder and The Pro for all of the beta help. You are both amazing.


	2. Iroha Part 2

To Shatter

_Who in our world is unchanging…?_

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Darkness. Inky, black and writhing. And it was so cold…so…so cold. Kami…why was it so cold? What the hell was going on…?

Naruto's eyelids twitched and then, finally, he opened his eyes.

Where…where was he? What…happened? Had he died…? What about Sasuke…and…Sakura…

Naruto's heart clenched and his gritting teeth were audible in the silence. He'd been too late…too late to save them… And then…then he'd lost control… The Kyuubi. That was his answer. But where was it? Where was he?

It was dark, silent. Eerie. He was standing in a hall way, a long narrow stretch of dimly lit metal that extended deep into the black. Naruto glanced behind him. A blank wall. He turned back around, a thoughtful expression plastered on his face. This…this was confusing. This was not Kyuubi's cage…so…where was he? Was he in his mind? Did it really look like this? What a dump.

The blonde looked down at himself and for the first time noticed the water that trickled around his feet. He followed the water's path, watching it flow past him. His eyes hardened. It was coming from the hallway. The long, dark hallway in the recess of his mind that ended up, as far as he knew, nowhere.

Naruto stared at the dark hallway. The never ending blackness stared emptily back at him.

"..Might as well…" muttered the blonde, starting toward the black chasm.

Naruto took a step, his sandal clad foot splashing into the thin layer of water around him. He took another and another and another and soon, he was striding headfirst into the unknown.

Splish. Splash. Drip.

The sounds of the water around him were growing louder. The walls on either side of the blonde were dripping, pipes that were running along the top of the walls steadily leaking onto the floor that he walked. The water was writhing, as if alive and Naruto could only look at it in disbelief as it coiled and snaked around him. Why was the water like this…was it even water at all?

The blonde continued on, and the hallway seemed never ending. The water was getting deeper and deeper and soon Naruto's legs were sloshing through the river of liquid that was rushing past him. The small trickle that he'd followed had turning into a raging river…and Naruto had no idea how.

"This is getting ridiculous…"

But he continued on. His legs pushed against the water and he heaved and heaved. It was getting deeper, he realized, as the water began to travel up his legs and torso. So the blonde swam, both his legs and arms powering through the torrent of water. He wouldn't stop, not now. He felt like he was close. He could feel the Kyuubi's chakra radiating ahead of him, its vile aura leaking into the water around him.

He was close. He knew it. So he pushed and swam and finally, finally, after what felt like hours, his feet touched land. But…

Naruto pulled himself onto concrete tiles, staring at the massive chasm in front of him.

"What the hell?"

Water was rushing UP the chasm and past him, down the raging river from where he'd come. Naruto's blue eyes flitted to the lone, long bridge that served as the only crossing across the wide ravine, of what he could now only assume was his own chakra. There was a door hidden in the shadows on the other side of the ravine, massive and metal, stuck into the wall and Naruto could almost see Kyuubi's chakra leaking out from beneath it.

"Well, I guess I better get over there and ask the fox what the hell is going on…"

Glancing at the bridge once again, Naruto stepped fully onto dry land and headed toward the flimsy looking stone structure. His eyes made a once over of the bridge again before he did a double take, taking a sharp breath.

What was suddenly standing in front of the bridge made him freeze. This…this was sick… Why was she here…?

"…Sa…sakura-chan…?"

Pink hair whipped around in the dim bronze light of Naruto's own mind. There she was. What the fuck was going on. What kind of sick joke was this?

"Sakura-chan…wha…what are you doing here?" said Naruto, his voice coming as a choked whisper.

The pink haired girl just stared at him, feet shuffling against the floor. Her eyes were cold, blank…empty. Like when she'd died.

Naruto's fists clenched and he sank to his knees. Her gaze was so…accusing. The blonde tried to think of something to say, something to fill the silence between them. God those eyes…those eyes…they were boring into him…

"I'm sorry Sakura…please…I tried…I did…", whispered Naruto, gazing up at the pink haired girl.

Silence. And Sakura just **looked** at him.

"No you didn't Naruto. You gave up."

Naruto flinched back. No…it wasn't true. He didn't give up. That was his nindo!

"I…I didn't! I tried so hard! I didn't give up on you I swear!"

A pleading, almost desperate quality was easing into Naruto's voice. Sakura just looked at him. Looked through him. Looked past him.

"You let them take me. You let them take Sasuke-kun. You failed us."

Each word was like a blow to the blonde boy and he was stunned into silence for a moment.

"I'm sorry…I'm sorry, I swear I'm sorry…" he pleaded with Sakura, his whisper so small and so faint in the darkness.

But his words had no effect on the girl. And she just kept staring, cold, empty green eyes tearing through Naruto. And he couldn't look at her…he just couldn't…

"Sorry isn't good enough Naruto…you gave up on us…you sold us out and let them win."

That wasn't true dammit… He would never do that to them…never… Naruto tried to plead with the girl, tried to tell her. But she wouldn't listen.

"I didn't do it on purpose, I swear! I'm so sorry, Sakura-chan, please. Please believe me!"

She didn't.

"You let us die Naruto."

Naruto jerked back as if slapped.

"No…no I didn't…", he muttered, head bowing to look at the floor.

His eyes sank lower. Sakura's voice was surrounding him.

"You killed Sasuke-kun."

"No…no…"

"You killed me."

Her voice was growing fainter and Naruto tilted his head up, looking to see what Sakura was doing…

"You failed."

She was standing by the chasm, eyes gazing into the deep, black ravine.

"You killed me."

Naruto watched her step toward the edge.

"NO!"

The blonde jumped up, legs pushing him toward the edge. He wouldn't let Sakura die again, not this time.

"You let me die Naruto."

The girl stepped off the cliff. And all Naruto could hear was himself screaming. His hand was so close…

"I hate you."

The wind whipped around him, water droplets falling across his face. Naruto plummeted down the dark ravine after Sakura.

* * *

"I see."

Shadows played under the wide brim of the Hokage's hat. The Sandaime stared at the ninja standing before him, hooded eyes glinting in the darkness. The room was silent, the dying light of the day filtering through one lone window. A small slat of sun glowed against the wood floor, glistening off the polished maple. There was no sound. Only silence. And it was palpable, thick.

The weighty stare of a man once known as the greatest shinobi to ever live was leveled on the jounin standing in the middle of the room.

Slow words formed in the silence.

"…I think I have made a grave error in judgment."

Robes shifted in the dim light. Sarutobi folded his hands on his desk, his customary pipe missing from his grasp. Kakashi stood across from him, standing in the small beam of light that filtered into the Hokage's office, bearing the weighty stare of "The God of Shinobi". The light was in his face, bright and glaring, no doubt a tactic used by the Hokage to promote nervousness. Kakashi tried his best to not blink, squinting slightly. He was stiff, for once the gravity of the situation forcing him total alertness.

"Perhaps, Kakashi, I made a mistake in giving you this team."

The Sandaime watched Kakashi flinch, watched the subtle movement in his jounin's stoic form, watched the twitch of jaw muscles beneath fabric of a black mask. Sarutobi saw it all. But he didn't care.

"You were not ready. This, I should have seen. You were not capable, nor were you willing to hoist the responsibility of…children, of being an instructor, not merely a commander, onto yourself. You told me that you would handle it; you had almost convinced me that you would take these students on like my predecessor once did to his own unruly team. And in the failing judgment of my old age, I believed you.

Sarutobi's fingers came unclasped, an old, wrinkled hand running across the smooth paper laid out on his desk. '_Dear Haruno-sama, your daughter …_'

The Sandaime closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"I had thought that this team would bring you out of your stupor. That you would bond with them, that you would nurture them and raise them and make them yours, Kakashi. I did not foresee, nor did I think that a tragedy, another one nonetheless, would be what had to occur to bring you closer."

The ink was still fresh, his brush laid carefully to the side, and the Sandaime took care to not smear the drying liquid. _'…Haruno Sakura, has been killed in combat…'_

"Minato would be ashamed of you."

Kakashi visibly flinched; the Sandaime's words a sickening blow to the reeling jounin. But the Hokage paid it no heed. He needed to learn. He needed to be told. To be taught.

"You were negligent. Lazy. Uncaring. And this in a jounin of Konoha is unacceptable. In an instructor? It is treason."

His voice trailed off, letting the gravity of his words sink in. To commit a crime worthy of treason… Silence weighed down the air between the two shinobi, the Hokage's words still echoing. Kakashi shifted, the pressure from the Sandaime's stare becoming unbearable.

"If I may Sandaime-sama…"

Sarutobi merely tilted his head, acknowledging his request to speak.

"My team, what's left of my team", Kakashi said, almost choking on his own words, "They are traumatized. They are hurting. Taking me away from them, I think, would hurt them even more."

The Sandaime was silent and Kakashi pressed on.

"This was my mistake. My negligence cost me a student. It might cost me two more. They need me now, Hokage-sama, don't take me away from them."

"They needed you before, Kakashi!" rumbled the Sandaime, his tone sharp as he cut into the jounin's words. "And you failed them. You ignored them! You're negligence and your laziness did not cost you. It cost **them**."

Kakashi fell silent, taking the rebuke. The Sandaime's once again spoke, his voice carrying decades of power.

"I see no reason why they should remain under your tutelage Kakashi. You failed them once. I will not have you fail them twice. They are not **toys** Kakashi. They are not merely play things that you can devote your attention to on a mere **whim**. They are children; children who should have never been a second or third priority. They should have been first. And they should always be first. They are shinobi. They are soldiers. They are **my** soldiers. And you have **killed** one of my soldiers."

The Sandaime's eyes flickered down to the paper beneath his hands, crisp white folds crinkling with the pressure of his wrists. _'…She died fighting as a proud kunoichi of Konohagakure…'_

Silence. The long, still moments were almost unbearable to Kakashi. The man was drowning in his own sorrow, Sarutobi could see it. Should he take the remaining genin away…it would kill the man. It would shatter him, destroy him for good. Would he risk that?

"The Professor" leaned back, hands folding into his wide sleeves. Kakashi's eyes were downcast, staring at the floor. The Sandaime watched him. Could Kakashi be redeemed? Could the remains of this team be salvaged? Was it worth it? Hiruzen was normally not the gambling type, but occasionally his old student's vices happened to take hold of him.

"I will give them a chance to choose."

Kakashi's head snapped up, once visible eye wide as his gaze fixed onto the Sandaime.

"I will not tear a hurting team apart any more than they already are…but, I will give Sasuke and Naruto the choice. They will decide whether or not they remain under your care or whether they will be assigned to another jounin sensei. This, I think is fitting. "

'…_And her sacrifice will not be forgotten…'_

Sarutobi fixed the silver haired jounin with a long stare. Would he regret this…?

"Don't disappoint me Kakashi."

Kakashi let out a breath, his heart beating rapidly. The look of elation and nervousness that flashed across his face for a brief moment made Sarutobi think, perhaps, he'd made a good choice.

"Hai, Hokage-sama. Thank you for your consideration."

The old man gave a curt nod.

"Dismissed."

Kakashi was swift and silent in his departure, the door closing with a soft click.

'…_My sincere condolences for your loss…'_

Silence again. The soft ruffle of fingers through an old tobacco pouch. The sound of a piece of paper sliding.

Behind his desk, the Hokage lit his pipe, a long, sad look on his face.

'_-Sarutobi Hiruzen, Sandaime Hokage of Konohagakure.'_

* * *

Punch. Kick. A shuriken thrown. A jab with a kunai. Sweep. Uppercut. Dodge. Dodge. Dodge.

Sweat trickled down his body and his muscles glistened in the dying light of the day.

Side step. Kick. Kick. Kick. Shuriken.

His eyes spun furiously, single black tomoe swirling in red, violent irises.

Block. Punch. Punch. Slap.

His body flowed through the kata, muscles straining as he whirled around, limbs lashing out left and right.

Kick.

His sandal clad foot impacted the training log, making it shudder in its foundation. Silence, except for the sound of heavy breathing. His chest heaved in and out and his arms came to hang loosely by his side.

Sasuke grimaced, staring at the training post, his sharingan fading back to onyx black.

He was so weak. So pitiful. It was disgusting.

He turned, heel pivoting in the dirt, hands shoving into his pockets. It was late and he should have already been getting ready. It was going to be at night, under the full moon. It was her favorite time after all…

Flinching and trying to shake thoughts from his head, Uchiha Sasuke walked away from the still shaking post in the silent training ground, hands balled, anger and frustration and sadness writhing inside him.

He had failed again. Again. Because he was weak. Because he hadn't trained enough. Hadn't tried hard enough.

He'd let someone die.

He thought it'd been over. Thought that the shower of icicles had killed him. Sasuke had thought that perhaps, even with the sharingan, it hadn't been enough. And faced with death, he'd realized that he'd never get to avenge his family and that'd he'd died an empty and **meaningless** death.

Sasuke had faced death and 'died' filled with regrets.

The evil, poisonous chakra had wakened him from his near death state.

He'd regained consciousness in time to see Naruto kill Gato. Through the thin mist he'd been able to see the wild red chakra swirl agitatedly around the blonde as he slit the pudgy tyrant's throat. He'd woken to fresh blood spilling into the air and a feral, twisted expression on his blonde teammate's face.

It had frightened him.

From his place against the concrete, he'd seen Zabuza's bloody husk on the ground. He'd seen the masked ninja's broken body that had been tossed haphazardly to the side. And instinctively, Sasuke knew that Kakashi, despite his prowess and power, had not been the cause of the two ninja's deaths.

He watched the silver haired jounin and…Naruto, or what he assumed was Naruto, face off. Sasuke watched the white chakra in his sensei's hand shriek and glow. He watched his sensei prepare, poised to kill his teammate.

But it hadn't happened. And Sasuke had unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

He watched Naruto slump into Kakashi's arms and break down and part of him was stunned to see the blonde so…vulnerable and Kakashi so…tired.

He'd been able to move just as the malevolent chakra faded away, finally regaining use of his legs and arms. Sasuke had crawled to his feet, shakily walking across the bridge from where he'd fallen.

His shuffling feet had alerted Kakashi to his presence and the silver haired man's head had whipped up. There was fear and then relief in the man's eyes. And Sasuke realized that Kakashi had thought that he'd died. Perhaps that had been the reason that Naruto had done whatever he'd done.

Looking over the remains of countless mercenaries and a bloody, burning bridge, it looked like the blonde had done a lot.

But it had neither been the time nor place to ask. Sasuke knew that. He could feel it. Something had happened, something that had shaken his team. Kakashi had looked pale, like he'd seen a ghost and Naruto.. The blonde had been distraught, crying, quivering in their Sensei's arms. Sasuke had never seen him look so weak. He hadn't even paid any Sasuke any attention.

And when the Uchiha heir had spent a few more moments looking around and noticed an all too familiar form slumped on the blood stained concrete of the bridge….he knew why.

Time had stopped. And his breathing slowed to a halt. And that sickening, sinking feeling took ahold of him, squeezing his stomach and making his heart **ache**.

Not again. Not again. Not another one.

Sasuke had glanced once more to Naruto, who was bawling his eyes out, devastated. He looked once more at Kakashi, catching the jounin's sad, tired eyes. And then he'd looked back at Sakura.

He didn't know how long he'd stared at her. How long he'd stared at her broken, bloody**, dead** body. But Kakashi had come to pull him away, hand firmly grasping him by the shoulder and tearing the raven haired boy's gaze from his teammate.

But the image was already burned into his mind, sharingan or not. The image of a crumpled, frail, pink haired girl who **just** wanted to be a kunoichi. The image of someone else that he had never even had a chance to know.

Sasuke's door slammed open, light flooding into his small home. Silence was all that greeted him.

They'd carried her body back from Wave, a broken and shattered team.

Team Seven hadn't met again since being back inside the walls of Konoha. Kakashi had visited him twice, stopping by to see how he was faring. But what more could be said? They'd lost someone that had never been meant to go and there was nothing Kakashi could do or say that would make the **pain** stop. Sasuke had learned that long ago.

Sasuke slid the door to his closet open, fiddling around with the clothes inside, mind wandering.

He hadn't seen Naruto since. No doubt his blonde teammate would be taking it hard… He'd loved the girl. Loved her. Or as real as love could be at their age. Kakashi had probably stopped by to see him as well. Sasuke hoped that Kakashi had visited Naruto more; the blonde needed someone there for him. Sasuke…well, he'd already grieved enough for a life time.

Black clothes were laid out on a blue bed spread and Sasuke gazed at them. He hadn't worn anything like them since the massacre.

The black haired boy turned away, face stony. This was too much.

Tonight…tonight was Sakura's funeral. And Team Seven…the remainder of Team Seven would go together. To honor her. Kakashi had stopped by earlier this morning to let him know. Sasuke had had so many questions for the older ninja, so many thoughts and emotions were swirling around in his head and begged to be let out, but Kakashi had merely told him to wait. And for once Sasuke did. He wouldn't press his sensei, not now, not after this.

The Uchiha scion slipped out of his clothes, slowly dressing in his black attire.

Sakura…Naruto…Kakashi… His team. And now one was gone, one was irreparably damaged and the last was drowning in sorrow. And amidst all of this, Sasuke was trying to keep his own ghosts at bay…

He was failing.

Sasuke remembered his own family being slaughtered still so very clearly. He remembered the metallic tang of blood and the smell of copper in the air. He remembered watching his mother and father die in front of him. And when Itachi let him live and told him to live his life in hatred, part of Sasuke had whispered one thing.

Never again.

Never again, he'd promised himself. Never again would he let someone close to him die. Never again would he be so weak. Never.

He hadn't wanted them to get close. He tried to keep them away. He really did. But Naruto's persistence and Sakura's attention and Kakashi's nonchalance had wormed their way into his heart and before he'd known it, Team Seven had become **family**.

And he'd let family die, again.

And no matter how much he told himself otherwise, no matter how much indifference he showed the girl, Sakura's death **hurt**. Naruto's pain **hurt**. Kakashi's sorrow **hurt**. He…his team…his family…they weren't supposed to be hurting like this.

Sasuke slowly wound the thick strip of cloth connected to his dull Konoha band around his head. He stared in the mirror, looking down at himself, at the glinting head band and remembered the blood slicked metal surface that had hung off her broken…

Sasuke shook his head, closing his eyes hard. Not now. He didn't want to see that now.

There was a soft knock on his door.

It was so faint that Sasuke barely caught it, as if the person had been scared to knock, but it'd still been there. Turning, slightly surprised, Sasuke walked out to the entrance of his house. Perhaps it was Kakashi, but he usually never knocked…

Sasuke pulled the door open.

Blonde hair. Blue eyes. Three whisker marks.

"Dobe…?"

The blonde just smiled, a soft broken look on his face as he stared sheepishly at the other boy. There were deep, dark circles around his eyes and the wrinkles of his face were much more pronounced and much more visible than any child their age should have. Sasuke stared at the blonde, noting how worn and how beaten he looked. The perpetual aura of cheerfulness that usually surrounded the young blonde was gone, replaced by a deep, heavy sadness and Sasuke had no idea how to take it.

"Can I come in?" said Naruto, his usually loud, boisterous voice reduced to barely a whisper.

Sasuke was startled for a moment, before moving out of the doorway, letting Naruto through. The blue eyed boy quirked his brow slightly but said nothing as he stepped through into Sasuke's house. He stood there for a few moments, eyes soaking in the dark woods and blacks of his home décor.

"Nice place."

Sasuke merely grunted, closing the door and shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Is Kakashi going to be showing up too?" said the Uchiha heir. Naruto merely shook his head, leaning against the couch in Sasuke's living room, arms folded over his chest.

"I'm here on my own teme."

Sasuke said nothing, walking around into his living room and sinking into a black leather seat. He stared at Naruto, who's eyes were looking everywhere but himself. Ever blunt and to the point, Sasuke spoke his mind.

"What's going on dobe?"

The blonde turned to him slowly and caught Sasuke's eye and the boy was startled by the empty, haunted, **lost** look plastered on Naruto's face. Sasuke just stared, lost in his own thoughts as Naruto licked his lips, hesitating on his words, as if unsure what to say.

"I…I don't really know how to put this…"

Sasuke just waited, eyes shifting to stare out of the room's far window.

"But, I need to know…"

The shadows around his face were even more pronounced and Naruto took a deep breath.

"How did you do it?" he asked.

The raven haired boy froze, one hand digging into the armrest of the chair. The blonde kept speaking, his words tumbling out now.

"How did you stop the nightmares? How did you stop feeling guilty? How did you get over it? How do I stop the pain? Because I can't. I just can't. And teme, it's killing me. She's torturing me in my dreams and there's nothing I can do about it…"

By the time his words stopped flowing, Naruto was out of breath. Sasuke was still, sitting motionless in his seat. Silence sunk between the two boys. Naruto was pleading. Pleading. Sasuke had never heard that from the blonde…ever. But lately…things hadn't been as they seemed, and it looked like this was no exception.

Minutes passed.

When it looked like Sasuke wouldn't answer, Naruto pushed off the couch, posture slumped.

"You know what, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come to ask you, I'm sorry for bothering you."

Naruto's tone was blank and the blonde was already heading for the door. One step. Two. A hand on the door knob. A twist.

"I didn't."

Silence. Slowly Naruto turned around, tired eyes looking at Sasuke's still form. The raven haired boy was still looking outside. Long moments passed before Sasuke spoke again.

"I didn't. I never did." He paused, "The nightmares never stopped. The pain never went away. I lived through it. It's something that takes time, Naruto. And there's not enough time in the world.

Naruto looked forlorn. Sasuke was looking at him now and Naruto could see the emptiness in the boy's eyes, the faraway look of pain that was hidden in his black orbs.

"But how do I fight the guilt?" he asked hesitantly.

They were silent, staring at each other. It hurt. And somehow they both knew it would never stop hurting. But Naruto wanted to know so bad and Sasuke didn't have the heart to tell him the truth, to tell him reality.

"I think…that's something I should answer."

The two boys swung their heads around at the unexpected voice. Kakashi was sitting on the open window sill, hands in his pockets as he gazed at his students. His customary Icha Icha was gone as was his jounin vest and ninja gear, replaced by soft, baggy black attire.

"Kakashi-sensei?" said the boys in stereo, wondering when the man had entered the house. Kakashi smiled sadly, his face mask creasing.

"I figured I'd drop by."

The silver haired man stared at his two students with one eye, taking a deep breath.

"Naruto…you know, it's not easy."

Kakashi leant back slightly, looking down at the floor.

"The guilt…the guilt never leaves. But it's something you can cope with. You learn to realize, despite everything you think you could have done, and everything you wish you could have done, there's nothing that you can do now. I know Naruto, trust me I know. I know what it's like to lose a comrade right before your eyes."

A bare hand came up to touch the head band covering his left eye.

"It hurts, I know. And the pain, like Sasuke said, never really leaves you. It just gets dull, until something reminds you of what happened and it rears its ugly head and tells you it's still there and makes sure you haven't forgotten. The only thing we can do is dull the pain. The only thing we can do is keep the pain hidden and keep ourselves busy enough to forget, just for a little, why the pain is there in the first place."

Naruto and Sasuke were silent; surprised that normally reclusive Kakashi was sharing things so personal and emotional with them. Kakashi gave a small, sad smile underneath his mask before continuing.

"Let me tell you a story."

Kakashi looked up, thinking.

"I was once on a team, much like ours. There was a boy who was rowdy and loud, there was me, prodigal and aloof and there was a girl, smart and love-struck."

Wide, orange goggles. A goofy smile. A soft laugh. Brown hair and long striped marks running down tanned cheeks.

Kakashi paused.

"We had a sensei. You know him as the Fourth Hokage, the Yondaime. We knew him as Minato."

A flash of blonde hair. A wide grin.

Kakashi's head tilted back as the memories returned, an unstoppable flow.

"We had a mission, and Minato-sensei had left me in charge."

A short chakra blade. Dashing through the trees. Stone ninja. Blood. Lightning chakra crackling through the air.

"The mission went wrong. Rin, my female teammate, was captured and Obito, my teammate from the Uchiha clan, and I narrowly escaped. We had a choice; we could continue the mission or we could go after her."

Kakashi let out a deep breath.

"I chose not to."

He could **hear** his two students stiffen and he let out a half laugh, half bark.

"Quite different from your sensei now, neh? Obito hated me for it of course. I was so stupid and we argued and he went off alone after Rin."

Kakashi ran a hand over the scar beneath his eye. His two students watched intently.

"I went back for him and I lost my left eye, but we finally got there in the end. We saved her.

The jounin trailed off, fingers still lingering over his face.

"But by then, we were too late and everything had started to go downhill. Rocks were falling all around us, we'd taken too long and the enemy was closing in. So we ran, everything collapsing all around."

Falling debris. A crumpled body underneath large rocks. A weak laugh.

"Obito didn't make it in time."

His two pupils were still, hanging on Kakashi's every word.

"And as he was dying…he gave me this."

Kakashi tapped his headband concealing the sharingan. Sasuke let out a low hiss of breath and Naruto just stared, wide eyed at Kakashi.

"I've never forgot him. I never will. How can I? He gave his life for me and Rin and that's something I can never repay. The pain is still there and it hurts all the same, but I use it to make myself better. You can't let the pain consume you. Otherwise you've lost and the sacrifice they've made was in vain. You've got to keep living, because they didn't get a chance to."

Kakashi looked at his two students. Really looked. They were suffering. Naruto looked like he hadn't slept in days and he could see the guilt and grief hidden in Sasuke's eyes. They needed him now more than ever. He'd lost one already and he couldn't let these two lose themselves.

"I'll always remember Obito as that goofy, goggle wearing kid. He'll always be a teenager to me", he said. "Always. Because he never got a chance to grow up. I did. And I live to make his sacrifice worthwhile. I see with his eye and I learn to live as best as I can. It's the only way I can repay him."

The silver haired man shifted, hands coming to rest on his legs.

"Sakura might not be here…but she'll always be a part of Team 7. We'll remember her, even if others won't. And we'll honor her sacrifice by making this team what it **should** have been and **can** be."

Kakashi looked at the boys.

"That is, if you still want to be part of this."

Sasuke and Naruto looked taken aback.

"Huh?" said Naruto eloquently.

Kakashi leaned back slowly.

"Hokage-sama has asked me to give you a choice", said the copy nin, eye drooping as he stared at his students. "You can choose to remain on this squad, as a part of Team Seven, or the team will be disbanded and you can be given to a new sensei and a new team."

The older man fixed his eye on his two students. They were silent, their minds processing the information. Surprisingly, Sasuke was the first to speak.

"What do you want us to do sensei?"

The jounin turned his gaze to the dark haired boy, giving him a long, steady stare. Kakashi's hands dug deeper in his pockets and his whole posture seemed to slump.

"I know I'm not a perfect sensei, far from it", he started slowly; "Through my sub-par leadership I've damaged both of you more than I ever could have imagined. I've ruined your youth as ninja as well as cut short the life of another. And all of that lies squarely on my shoulders. You deserve a better sensei, a better person than me. I want you to have that, so I want you to choose what you think will be the best for you."

Kakashi swiveled his eyes over the both of them.

"But if I could beg you for another chance, I would."

Silence. Kakashi shifted his gaze to the floor. They wouldn't take him back. Not after all that had happened. And he couldn't bear to look them in the eyes when they'd told him so. He'd failed.

'I'm sorry Sensei, Obito…'

"Neh, Kashi-sensei…"

The jounin's gaze snapped up to his blonde student, who has a sad smile on his face.

"I don't know about Sasuke feels", started the blonde, gesturing to the dark haired boy, "But you've been here for me and that's more than anyone has ever done for me…"

The blonde stared at Kakashi, shifting his weight from the couch.

"I guess what I'm trying to say is that I want to keep being your student."

Kakashi's breath caught in his throat. The copy nin glanced at Sasuke, trepidation beneath his mask. The Uchiha boy looked at him and after a long moment he snorted, turning away.

"Dobe."

The copy nin saw the smile sneaking onto his face.

Happiness blossomed in Kakashi's chest. They still wanted him. They **both** still wanted him.

* * *

It was a warm night in Konoha and Naruto fidgeted as he walked along the dark dirt road. The clouds had long since moved across and away from the city and now the moon was bathing them in its ethereal glow, silver light soft in the midst of a quiet night.

The blonde glance to either side, Sasuke next him, Kakashi falling slightly behind. Naruto shut his eyes tight, a lingering, phantom image of Sakura where she **should have been**. It wasn't supposed to be like this. She was supposed to here. With them. As a team.

His teeth clenched, heart heavy, Naruto walked on. Past houses and farther into the night, sensei and students walked up the long, winding path to the temple.

"Neh, Kaka-sensei?" whispered Naruto, head tilting up to squint at the nearing temple's outline in the dim moonlight. Kakashi shifted his hands in his pocket, glancing at his student.

"Yes Naruto?"

There was a pause and both Kakashi and Sasuke looked at the blonde expectantly. Naruto just kept his head tilted up, light reflecting off his blue eyes.

"Do you think Sakura's mom will be there?" said Naruto softly.

Kakashi saw Sasuke stiffen out of the corner of his eye. Letting out a soft sigh, the jounin stared into the night sky.

"Yes Naruto, Haruno-san informed me that she'd be there."

"Oh…" whispered the boy, visibly slouching. Sasuke glanced over at Kakashi, and the copy nin internally smiled at the concern on the boy's face. He probably didn't even know it. Kakashi just looked back impassively, mind already knowing the question Naruto would ask next.

"Will she hate me?"

And yet even though he'd known it was coming, the suddenness, bluntness and broken tone of his blonde student shook the older ninja to his core.

"Will she blame me sensei?"

The rest of the question was left unvoiced. 'Like everyone else. Will she blame because I'm the kyuubi? Will she think I'm the reason Sakura-chan is dead?'

A gloved hand rested on Naruto shoulder and the blonde turned his head.

"Sensei?"

"Don't worry Naruto. I won't let anything happen to you. Either of you. You have me Naruto and you have Sasuke. That's all we need right now. She can't blame you Naruto and even if she does, we know that it's not true. And that's what counts. Sakura's mom is grieving, but we've suffered a loss too. Don't forget that."

Naruto fell silent after this and Kakashi let it go. It would take time. But the least he could was make sure the impending confrontation with Sakura's mom wouldn't damage his blonde student anymore. And well, if it looked like it would…Kakashi had little time for prejudice.

The three neared the shrine in quiet, winding steps leading them to the open gates and a courtyard lit by small candle and lanterns. The shrine itself was maintained by a team of shinobi, retired, who had decided to dedicate themselves to religion. The shinobi, now old and weary, had built the shrine from scratch after the first temple had been destroyed in the Kyuubi attack. Most, if not all shinobi, had there funerary services here, where they would be cremated and their ashes either given to the family or stored within the shrine. Civilian family members of the deceased could choose to attend a separate funerary service in another part of the shrine, while the shinobi held their own. Kakashi knew that Sakura's mother would be here with other friends and relatives to retrieve the ashes of her daughter and it was a confrontation that he was not looking forward too.

Lost in his thoughts, Kakashi gazed blankly around. He had been here many times and the grounds of the shrine looked the same as ever, even bathed in the moonlight. But for Naruto and Sasuke, this was their first time, and both looked on in interest as they stepped closer and closer to the main building in the shrine.

Kakashi's sharp ears picked up the sounds of low chatter as they neared, and he braced himself as his team walked through the gates. The rumor mill had been quiet eager to say all sorts of things about their mission. And the "details" no matter true or false had swept through the shinobi as well as the civilian gossip pool. As usual, Naruto was being vilified. And though he'd tried to shield his two students from the worst of it, they had to face it head on now.

Stepping through the gates, Team Seven saw a gathering of people, lingering around as they waited for the service to start. Civilians most likely, with a spattering of ninja. The Haruno's were a well-known business family, specializing in banking and investments and the copy nin was not surprised to see several prominent merchants and business owners. He was even less surprised when he noted their frosty glares directed at them and in particular whiskered boy. Kakashi lifted a hand to adjust his headband, feeling his sharingan swirl in agitation.

'I know Obito…I know.'

As the remainder of Team Seven walked in, quiet chatter softened and all eyes were drawn to the three ninja. Kakashi just looked on, an expression of apathy carefully crafted and maintained even as he saw glares directed toward his blonde student. Naruto just lowered his eyes, not meeting the gaze of anyone present, posture slouching as he walked. And Sasuke…well, Sasuke had a death glare slapped onto his face, eyes narrowed as he stepped closer to Naruto, black irises flashing at anyone who stared too long. Kakashi almost raised an eyebrow in surprise at the boy's subtle protectiveness.

Kakashi scanned the small crowd. Some civilians mostly for now; they would hold their service first while the shinobi would hold theirs after, cremating Sakura's body in the process. Very few ninja had arrived. Kakashi could see Kurenai's student in the crowd along with the Nara boy and his Akimichi friend. A flash of white and red robes caught his eye, the emblem of fire moving through the crowd of people.

Kakashi placed his hands on the shoulders of his two students, drawing their attention.

"The civilian service will start soon. Sakura's mom is probably in there setting up. We'll hold a separate one in another part of the temple, but for right now, I think Hokage-sama needs to talk to you."

Naruto's head snapped up, eyes locking onto the wizened form of the Sandaime as he eased his way toward them, robes fluttering lightly. A small, small smile graced Naruto's face and Kakashi inwardly smiled. Perhaps it wasn't going to be so bad after all…

"Hokage-sama", said Sasuke, bowing as the Sandaime neared. The black haired boy stepped closer to Naruto, and Kakashi could see how tense he was, as if Sarutobi held the same animosity that everyone had shown already.

The Sandaime merely smiled, folding his hands as he came to a stop, glancing down at the two of them.

"Hey old man."

Kakashi could hear the grin in Naruto's voice and the smile on the Sandaime's face widened even more.

"Hello Naruto-kun, Sasuke-kun," he said. He then turned to jounin, fixing him with an unreadable stare, "A moment if you would Kakashi."

The silver haired man nodded, stepping away from the three and ambling away. There was silence for a moment as the Sandaime watch Kakashi leave. Naruto fidgeted, watching the old man, while Sasuke fixed him with a guarded look.

"I trust that he's told you of your choice?", murmured Sarutobi, finally looking down at the two genin.

Naruto nodded, his hand coming up to run a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, yeah old man, now what?"

The Sandaime shifted slightly, looking into the crowd of people.

"And you've chosen to stay?"

Sasuke nodded, "Hai Hokage-sama, we have."

"I see."

He smiled. Pushing his hands deeper into his robes, Sarutobi took a long, deep breath. Perhaps things would be alright.

"Then I'll leave you two to rejoin him. The service will start soon."

The Sandaime tipped his hat, shadows playing around his face.

"My condolences for your loss. Be strong."

Red and white robes swept away, two murmurs of "Arigatou Hokage-sama" echoing in Sarutobi's wake.

* * *

_The bridge was burning._

Kakashi stared at the flickering flames that consumed her body.

_She was just slumped on the ground, motionless._

The orange and yellow and red melded, blending together, twisting. But all Kakashi could see was the outline of her slim form.

_And she was cold, so, so cold. And there was so much blood…_

Smoke rose from the flames, circling through the air and into the night sky.

_She was dead, he realized as his fingers brushed her eyelids shut. Dead. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Dead. She looked so much like __**her**__…_

Kakashi clasped his hand over his student's shoulders, squeezing lightly, shaking the thoughts of haunting green eyes and bloody pink hair. Naruto glanced up at him and even though Kakashi knew that the blonde was hurting just as much or more, the concern in Naruto's face was touching.

"Kaka-sensei, are you ok?"

He told himself no more. No more dead comrades. No more funerals. After Rin…after Minato… And yet here he was, one more time, mourning the death of someone that was supposed to be family.

"Yeah Naruto, I'm fine."

The boy gave him another strange look and then stared into the fire again, the flames reflecting in his blue eyes.

Team Seven watched Sakura burn.

And into the night they stood, people around them leaving on by one.

And stood.

And stood.

And as the flames died and people filed out, offering words of comfort and condolence, Team Seven stood and watched.

As the Hokage left, giving Naruto a hug as he did, Team Seven stood and watched.

They stood and watched until the flames were nothing more than glowing coals and embers. And the shinobi around them said nothing. Because they knew. And those who didn't were wise enough to keep their mouths shut. So they stood in silence while Team Seven mourned. They stood in silence and watched Team Seven **cry**.

When it was all said and done, Team Seven stood. And watched. And remembered.

There were only a few ninja around them now; the remainder of the rookie nine and their sensei's. And Team Seven's silence could not last forever.

From the gathering of shinobi came a man; a member of the council that required Kakashi's attention. The jounin had at first shut down the man, calmly explaining that now was _not _a good time. The man had smiled thinly, agreeing of course, that the shinobi needed time to grieve, but had just whispered a few words in the copy ninja's ear. Both Naruto and Sasuke had watched as Kakashi nodded slowly and acquiesced. Naruto and Sasuke had exchanged momentary confused looks but Kakashi had reassured both of them and then pulled the young Uchiha away, citing private concerns from the council. He'd given Naruto a few calm words and quickly disappeared with the two.

And now Naruto stood in front of the priest watching him finish his work. Careful hands worked the flickering remnants of the pyre, fingers folding and pushing in their manipulations.

When the old priest finished, he looked up. Fixing his eyes on Naruto, he nodded in understanding, expression filled with a warmth that the young boy was unused to receiving. Beckoning him forward, the priest reached out to hand Naruto the urn.

"Take it", whispered priest. Naruto was still for a moment.

The blonde nodded, reaching out hesitantly to take the jar. The priest smiled, placing it carefully in Naruto's trembling fingers.

Only one thought echoed in his mind as the cool material touched his hands.

'Sakura-chan…'

Suddenly Naruto felt a slight push on his shoulders, causing him to wobble and secure his deceased teammate tighter.

"Hey wait a minute", a voice piped to the priest from behind Naruto, filled with surprise and a bit of venom. Naruto flinched from the embittered words, turning to face the person who had pushed him only moments ago.

"Why does _Naruto _get Sakura's ashes? He's not even family."

Blonde hair. Shrill voice. Female.

Yamanaka Ino.

The blonde was standing there, arms crossed, looking so damn _smug_. Naruto clenched the urn tighter to his chest.

Not having the sense to shut her mouth she added, "If anything, Sakura's mom should get them!"

At this, Naruto's expression grew dark and he couldn't help but cling tighter to the heavy urn. Not noticing his stormy expression, or simply not caring, Ino continued as the priest tried to explain.

"Naruto hasn't even known Sakura for that long." She scoffed dismissively. "She doesn't even _know_ her mom! I'll give them to her", said Ino, brushing off the priest's words and holding her hands out expectantly toward Naruto.

The blonde boy looked stunned, at a loss for words. He looked down at the urn, mouth so close to the lid he could feel the iciness ebbing into his flesh, see his breath clouding over its glazed surface.

They wanted to take her away, _again? __She wanted him to just give her up, to just hand her over, __again__?_

His teeth clenched as he hugged his deceased teammate ever closer.

He already failed her once, he already lost her, and _now_ they wanted to take the last vestige of his teammate, one that he…

One that he...

'Couldn't save', echoed his own voice somewhere in the recesses of his mind.

Naruto's teeth clenched harder and his eyes flitted up to the opposing blonde who was tapping her foot impatiently. He returned with a warbled voice

"No."

He wouldn't. He couldn't! He _had_ to do this. He may have failed her in life, but he'd be _damned _before he'd fail her and dishonor her in death.

Ino looked shocked for a moment. She'd expected Naruto to smile and just give it up and let it go, but to actually argue with her? That was decidedly odd. There was only a slight hesitation in the back of her mind reminding her that Naruto was Sakura's teammate, but in a few seconds it had been ruthlessly crushed. Ino's face contorted in anger.

"No? _No_?! Naruto give them to me!"

Naruto stepped back, out of the reach of Ino's hands.

"I said no." His face was etched in stone as he stared at her lifelessly. "I'm her teammate. I need to do this."

Ino's face was turning red, fists clenched as she glared at Naruto.

"What does that have to do with anything, huh loser? Just give them to me!"

Ino was yelling now, taking more steps toward the blonde boy.

"If you were her teammate and if you liked her so damn much then maybe you should have saved her, huh?" She snapped, hands reaching out to push the boy.

Naruto flinched back as if slapped, his grip on the jar in his hands wavering. His face fell blank, and his eyes fell to the floor.

And then they shot back up, boiling ice chips piercing her.

"Fuck you." The grieving teammate barked. "If you were such a friend, why did you leave her over Sasuke? A _boy!_" Spittle flew as he snapped his head back and forth in enraged refusal. "You are a piece of _shit_!"

Ino shot back as if struck. There was a moment or two of silence as she looked at the blonde incredulously. Water brimmed up to her eyes, even as her mouth worked open and closed. Naruto felt faint satisfaction at her pain, knowing that she was speechless. It wasn't to last though.

Asuma's head snapped from Kurenai towards the outpouring after hearing Naruto's outbreak. When he saw his student was the one being accosted, he strode to her back quickly, cigarette clenched between his teeth.

"Hey!" He barked, striding toward the two blondes, expression dark. The small crowd of shinobi were watching now, those who hadn't been drawn in by the spat now looking over at Asuma's loud voice.

Arriving at his student's side, Asuma bent down to Ino's level and twisted her chin to his direction. Righteous fury burned like his very cigarette the moment he saw her tears.

"Genin!" He snapped towards Naruto, causing him to curl around the urn ever tighter. The jounin sensei hulked forward, fist readied for a blow. Naruto's defiant glare was all he needed to send a smack his way.

Only to have it caught.

"Mah, mah." Kakashi's eyes were squinted in a very happy and very feigned expression. "Striking my student is _not_ a good idea, _today_ of all days."

"Hatake, he's bullying my student, Kakashi on the _day _that she lost her friend. That is unacceptable!" Asuma barked, body shaking in rage.

"Tch." All eyes shifted towards the newcomer. Narrowed black eyes shifted towards Ino. "I'm sure it was well deserved. Her pathetic presence is an insult to my deceased teammate."

"Are you even listening Hatake? What the hell is wrong with your student?!"

Kakashi's patience was wearing thin. He glanced once at Asuma and then back down to a stony looking Naruto.

"If you don't discipline him I-"

"Stand down."

Kakashi had stepped in front of his students. Asuma looked at the silver haired man, bewildered, before taking another step forward.

"Kak-"

The gray haired jounin shoved Asuma's wrist away causing him to step back. "I said _stand down_, jounin. Don't make me say it again."

Kakashi's tone left no room for argument.

Asuma faltered and then after a moment's hesitation, stepped back. Ino looked uncertainly between the two men and then back at Sasuke who was glaring at her. She glanced at Naruto, whose eyes were still downcast, half hidden behind Sasuke.

She took another look at the imposing figure of Kakashi towering over her and took a few unsteady steps back. She looked once again to Asuma, who said nothing, watching stonily, arms crossed and eyes narrowed.

So Ino did what she could. She turned to flee. Kakashi watched her leave, sharingan swirling in agitation under his headband.

When Asuma's mouth had finally shut, Kakashi began in a deadly undertone.

"In the future learn how to control yourself. The next time someone tries to assault one of my soldiers, there will be one less shinobi in Konoha."

Asuma looked taken aback, before tensing, eyes narrowed.

"Are you threatening me Hatake?"

The copy nin just gave him a sidelong glance as he pushed his two students into the temple and past the small group of people who had watched in silence.

"No. I'm promising."

He turned and followed Naruto and Sasuke. They had some ashes to deliver. As if the night could get any worse.

* * *

An: Special thanks once again to puffdadder for co-writing the Ino scene and for wonderful beta work. Thank you all for reviewing! You guys are awesome. Let me know what you all think.


	3. Iroha Part 3

To Shatter

_The deep mountains of vanity, we cross them today…_

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

They stepped silently into the temple, faces shadowed by flickering lanterns. It was quiet, eerie even and Naruto felt a chill roll down his spine. Shivering and shaking himself lightly, the blonde stared down the long hallway, fingers gliding over the glazed urn in his hands. It was cool to his touch, the lingering heat from his palms fading just as quickly as it came.

'Sakura…'

The blonde's thoughts flashed to Ino, to her words, to the bitterness that was so apparent in her voice. And then there was the _look_ in her eyes, the _look_ etched on her face. Naruto knew it for what it was. Sadness and bitterness, perhaps even some self-loathing, all masked by a haughty, blusterous façade. For a moment Naruto felt a shade of regret, a sliver of remorse at his own words, remembering her dumbstruck face, the tears welling in her eyes. But yet…

…She didn't have to say that to him. She didn't. She knew she was hurting him with every word, Naruto could see that and yet she'd persisted. She'd torn into him relentlessly and she'd gotten what she deserved. He hadn't made it through life by letting people walk all over him and Ino was no exception.

And dammit it had _hurt_.

All her words and all her bitterness had brought back all the unpleasant memories, all the nightmares of the past weeks, all the pain and the tears and the anger. Everything.

A gentle hand slid onto his shoulder and Naruto's head snapped up. Kakashi looked down at the blonde, lingering sympathy apparent in his one eye.

"We're here Naruto", said the ninja, other hand motioning toward to door in front of them.

Naruto shook his head, trying to regain some semblance of control. Had he just zoned out? Blue eyes gazed at the door. Beyond them was Sakura's mom…

"Dobe", muttered a voice, shaking Naruto from his reverie once again, "Are you okay?"

There was a touch of concern in the Uchiha's voice and Naruto let a small smile grace his face.

"Huh, you do care after all", he quipped, glancing at the other boy. Sasuke merely scowled, turning away from the blonde.

"Hmph, dobe."

Naruto just smiled.

'Thanks teme.'

Naruto looked down at the urn in his hands, then back at the double doors in front of them. He glanced up at the copy ninja.

"Ne, Kashi-sensei, what do you think will happen?"

It was an innocent question, but loaded with enough to make Kakashi pause. The jounin stared at the blonde's slightly trembling hands for a moment.

"Whatever happens, happens Naruto", said the sharingan wielder, "But whatever it is, remember that you're a shinobi of Konoha and you did everything you could and more".

The copy nin slid the door open, shoji making hardly a sound as it was pushed aside, giving the three ninja a glimpse of the inner chamber. Teacher and students stepped into the dimly lit _shoin_ room, feet caressing the tatami floor.

Peering into the dark, Naruto could make out the sight of a woman sitting lazily on the far side of the room, robes pooled softly around her. The three ninja stepped farther into the chamber and Naruto clutched the urn tighter to his chest, eyes never leaving the woman, observing all of her visible features as his blue orbs strained in the dark. She was a petite woman, the smallness of her body masked by her long robes, but in her hands and in her face Naruto could see it.

They came closer, mere feet in between them as Kakashi motioned for his students to kneel. They did, Kakashi on the left, Sasuke in the middle and Naruto finally on the far right. Naruto just stared at the woman whose head was turned away from the ninja, back to the three as she gazed at something at the far corner of the room. Silence permeated the chamber and after a few moments the woman finally shifted, brown hair falling around her neck as she did.

Watching her movement, Naruto was met by a pair of hauntingly familiar green eyes as they snapped up and his breath caught in his throat. He could feel Sasuke stiffen next to him, could feel the tension in the room skyrocket. His insides turned and he fought the urge to flinch at her intense gaze. After a moment her eyes shifted, landing on Kakashi and Naruto saw a hint of anger hidden within her orbs.

'Huh…'

Naruto watched green eyes narrow, scanning over them slowly, trailing from Kakashi, to Sasuke and then back to him. As her eyes fell onto his form once again, Naruto's heart skipped a beat, blood pounding so, so loudly in his ears. Naruto could feel her gaze boring into him, could feel her eyes dissecting his every step, every raise of his chest and every breath. And if possible, the eyes narrowed even more, tinting with a hardness that he'd had grown quite accustomed to.

A sense of dejection fell over him. She would be like everyone else. And she would blame Sakura's death on him and him alone. But Naruto would weather the storm, he would persevere if only to honor Sakura and turn her back over to her relatives. Still, the woman said nothing, instead leaning back, eyes flitting once again over the three ninja before drifting to the ceiling.

"So you've finally come."

Her voice was bitter, raw but yet so devoid of emotion. Naruto could hear the rough quality in it, so weary and worn.

Kakashi spoke up.

"Hai, Haruno-sama. We've come to del-"

"I know what you're here for", snapped the woman, cutting Kakashi off. She stared at the man, long and hard and Naruto was sure she would say something else, but the woman merely looked away, eyes pulled back to the distant temple altar.

There was an awkward silence and Naruto did his best to not shift out of habit.

Kakashi inclined his head slightly at the brown haired woman's words, speaking again.

"As team leader, I offer my condolences Har-"

The woman scoffed, her expression darkening as she cut Kakashi off once again.

"Save it. I don't want to hear it. It's all just empty words anyways, isn't it Hatake?"

Haruno Mebuki shifted in the dim light, robes fluttering around her as she drew them in, a sardonic smile on her lips.

"You ninja did the same thing when my sister died", she murmured and Naruto watched Kakashi stiffen, tensing at her words. But the woman seemed oblivious and continued on.

"You and that blonde excuse for a sensei came to me with her ashes, a useless head band and words. As if those were ever worth anything…"

A bitter chuckled died in the air.

"Still, it's the same. My daughter dies. And what do I get? Apologies. From who? Her teammates. People who were supposed to protect her."

Jade eyes swiveled to Naruto and then briefly to Kakashi, hardening as they did.

"But perhaps I should have known better", she whispered, voice only now rising again.

"My sister and now my daughter, for what?"

A scoff.

"You couldn't protect her either. But what should I have expected from someone like you? Couldn't ever save anyone, could you Kakashi?"

Naruto could hear the bitterness in her voice, the hidden anger directed at Kakashi. What the hell was going on here? Did this woman know Kashi-sensei? What kind of twisted history did they share? These words…they weren't merely those a wounded and grieving mother, they were the words of a woman who had lived in silent hatred for a long time. Naruto knew, he heard them every day from the villagers, people who had lived with their hatred for years.

The blonde ninja gave a sidelong glance at Sasuke and could see the slight furrow of his brows. The Uchiha was surprised as well, concealing his shock far better than Naruto. The black haired boy hadn't moved an inch unlike his blonde compatriot, but Naruto could see the tightening of his jaw and lips with each verbal assault from Sakura's mother.

"She trusted you. You were her leader. And you did it all over again…"

The woman trailed off and Naruto thought this would be it, would be the end. But instead she continued, more biting words directed to Kakashi.

"...just like you did with Rin."

Naruto watched his sensei reel from the woman's words, his fists clenching in his lap. Who the hell was Rin? A ninja they'd both known? Had she died…?

The copy took a deep breath and Naruto could see his jaw tighten, the fabric of his mask stretching slightly.

"Haruno-sama, I don't think this is the right time to-"

But the woman cut him off once more and Naruto could see Kakashi flinch. She shouldn't be doing this… Not now, not after Kashi-sensei lost a student, not after the funeral. This wasn't fair. She was tearing into him!

Naruto wasn't sure of what to do, but he knew that this woman was hurting sensei emotionally. Whatever ties they held, or had once held, were the ones she now exploited. And with every word that escaped the brown haired woman's lips, Naruto could see the pain from them digging into the normally unexpressive jounin's face.

"Not the right time? That's rich Kakashi. When will it ever be the right time?"

She needed to stop. Stop. Stop. She was hurting Kashi-sensei dammit. On fucking purpose.

"When will it ever be okay to talk about my dead daughter and my dead sister? You've only been avoiding it for the last decade. Face it Hatake, the only thing the people around you ever do is _die_."

"Stop it."

Green eyes snapped to blue. Naruto stared back at Sakura's mom, gaze unflinching.

"Stop it. Please", pleaded Naruto, not taking his eyes away from Mebuki. There was silence for a moment as the woman took her attention away from Kakashi and seized him up, eyes lingering on the long whisker like marks on his face.

"And then there's your student", she murmured, piercing Naruto with a strange look.

"I shouldn't be surprised. His _kind_ are always bad luck."

An oppressive silence fell over the inner chamber at her words.

'So she hates me too.'

"I should have known bad things would happen with Hatake and you", her eyes glinted with something unseen and Naruto's whole posture slumped, "People always die around _demons_."

Naruto's face tightened, teeth gritting together at the woman's mocking grin. But Mebuki's attention was caught by something else. Sasuke had been mostly expressionless and silent throughout the meeting, taking the slights and insults to his sensei and team mate easily, only small signs of frustration apparent. But now the Uchiha was lost, between Kakashi's past with this woman and her hatred of Naruto, Sasuke's mind was running in overdrive. The confusion was apparent on Sasuke's face and Mebuki took full advantage of it, the grin on her lips only widening.

"Why the confused face, little Uchiha?", she chuckled, "Do you not know? Did daddy Fugaku never tell you while he was alive?"

Silence met her words and the woman laughed, a harsh sound ripping from her lips. The confusion still on Sasuke's face, coupled with momentary shock after the mention of his father only confirmed Mebuki's own twisted thoughts.

"Oh! Hahaha, oh, oh, this is good."

Fury danced behind Sasuke's eyes but he said nothing as Mebuki rambled on, her tone condescending.

"He doesn't know! Hah, how ironic. Let me tell you something boy, about your blonde friend here. Maybe it will change your outlook on life hm?"

Naruto felt cold dread seep into him. She wouldn't would she? She wouldn't break the Sandaime's law in front of Kakashi. Sasuke couldn't find out, least of all like this. Not with this woman just spilling all of his secrets. The blonde's hand traveled to hit stomach, fingers brushing over the black fabric of his clothing, dancing over where the seal lay etched into his skin.

"That's enough Haruno-san", came Kakashi's voice, like steel cutting through her own words, "Be careful what you say, you're treading on dangerous ground." But the woman just laughed, throwing her head back.

"Hah! You don't scare me. I don't fear death anymore and I'll say what I want to say!"

She turned to Sasuke, "Your team mate-"

"Mebuki-san!"

But she paid Kakashi no mind, "-has a demon sealed inside him. A real life demon."

Kakashi was on his feet now, chakra humming through the air.

"I order you-"

"Can you guess-"

Naruto was looking frantically between Mebuki and Sasuke, words of denial on his lips. Kakashi was saying something in the background, but all Naruto was focused on was the shock on Sasuke's face, his mouth opened in surprise.

"-which one it is little Uchiha? Can those eyes of yours figure it out?"

Kakashi pulled the woman to her feet, backing her into the corner of the room, chakra crackling in the darkness. The sardonic smile on her face never left, even as she was pushed out of the room, the words of the jounin drowning out her own laughs.

There was only a moment between her departure and Sasuke's sudden movement, and Naruto was forced to tear his eyes away from the open shoji door at the back of the room and shake away the image of her mocking visage before facing his team mate. Sasuke turned slowly to the still kneeling Naruto, disbelief etched into every fold of his young face. And all the blonde could do was watch the myriad of emotions that dashed across Sasuke's features, fingers clutching the purpose of their visit, the urn, tightly in his hands.

Shock. Hurt. Anger. Sadness. And the one that struck the blonde the most of all: betrayal.

The blonde tried to say something, try to open his mouth to defend himself, tried to grasp onto the situation, but no words were forthcoming. So he stared at Sasuke, looking at the boy that was his closest friend, begging him to not judge, begging him to stay.

"I…I wasn't-", Naruto voice cracked and he fell silent, unsure of what to say to salvage the situation. The Uchiha merely looked at him, before unfolding his legs from seiza, pushing himself to his feet. Naruto felt his heart sink.

'Please don't be like the others. I don't have anyone now. Please not you too.'

"Sasuke! I , I wasn't trying to keep secrets from the team, I just…"

The black haired boy stood still for a moment, tense before turning away from the blonde and heading toward the door. Naruto watched him go, watched the shoji door slide open. For a second, Sasuke stood in the doorway, back turned to the blonde and Naruto thought for a split moment that he would stay, that Naruto would be able to tell him the full story. But as soon as this thought reached his mind, it was dashed and the door slid closed with a soft click, the Uchiha scion disappearing behind it in a blur of black.

Silence.

And Naruto stared at the closed door, disbelief flooding over his body like ice water.

In the span of a few minutes, he'd lost another friend. Or what could have been a friend. What should have been a friend. All because that woman had to open her mouth…

Naruto clutched at the urn lying on his lap. So this was it huh… One team mate dead, hated by her mother and abandoned by another team mate that couldn't stand being with a _demon_. The blonde's lips folded into a thin line and his face hardened. Naruto turned away from where the Uchiha had fled, knees swinging around the face the exit where Kakashi and Haruno Mebuki had disappeared to.

Minutes passed as Naruto stared at the paper doors, light flickering across his face. If he was to be alone, then at least he would be alone after doing what he needed to do. So the blonde waited. It felt like ages, kneeling there against the tatami mat, for Naruto. But he had a job to do and he would do it.

More time passed in silence and finally, the back shoji door opened once again. Naruto rose slowly from his kneeling position, joints creaking, grasping the urn as he did.

As Haruno Mebuki stepped back into the chamber, followed closely by Kakashi, Naruto approached her, hands held out, urn in between his fingers.

"Haruno-san. I brought Sakura home. I'm sorry it had to be like this", his words were quick, rushed even.

The startled woman took the container from Naruto's shaking hands, giving him a strange look. The blonde gave a strained smile, ignoring Kakashi inquisitive glance and looked down, pushing his way past the two of them, feet shuffling to the open door. He ignored Kakashi's call of his name, ignored the world and walked out quickly, fingers almost clawing at the paper of the door as he pulled it shut. The shaking was getting worse, going from his fingers to his whole body.

His sandaled feet touched hard wood floors and the door closed behind him, but he kept walking, feet carrying him through the temple in search of fresh air and an exit, some way to get away, anyway, somehow…

'I told myself I'd bring you back to her…Sakura-chan.'

Choking back what could have been a sob, Naruto let his soft footsteps echoed in the empty halls of the shrine. His feet carried him out of the temple into the night, the cold air assaulting his senses. The blonde choked back another gasp.

'I'm sorry.'

Naruto's tear tracks glistened in the moonlight.

* * *

He didn't know how long he'd been walking, or when'd he'd stopped, or how late it was, but the moon was waning and the darkness was beginning to flee, chased away by a rising sun.

And as Naruto felt the cold begin to recede, the numbness of his skin beginning to fade as the first rays of light touched him, he knew one thing.

He ached.

Not just his body and not just from the cold that had seeped down to his very bones, but his mind, his heart and even his soul. Everything ached. It was dull, lingering throb inside him that he couldn't just shake off.

Naruto had walked through the village streets in the dead of the night, vaguely noting the night patrol of ANBU dotting the houses as he carried himself through the city. The ache had started out in his heart, somewhere deep within that hurt at the rejection, the bitterness and the scorn he had been shown in the past few hours. It was nothing new, he'd certainly been treated with disdain before, been treated with outright hate, but that had been in the past, with civilians nonetheless. Now that it was with comrades, with shinobi, even his own teammate, Naruto found that the pain of rejection and scorn hurt a lot more from his peers than ever before.

They were comrades, they were ninja, and they were a team. Hadn't Konoha been famous for its teamwork, for its unity within its shinobi ranks? Or did that not extend to him? Did that not extend to the demon and pariah?

He'd thought Sasuke had bonded with him, had thought that the Uchiha had understood, but one mention of the Kyuubi had derailed any hope Naruto had held of getting their team back on track. Once more it looked like he was the outcast, the loner, the one that no one wanted anything to do with.

As Naruto had walked and thought more and more on this, the ache in his heart grew and began to encompass his mind, the endless questions that he had for himself left unanswered. Why, why, why? And because he had no answers except what he knew from negative experience, the ache grew.

So as he sat in an empty training ground and gazed at the waning moon, bones, heart and mind aching, Naruto realized that he was _alone_. Alone with nothing save the demon in his gut to grant him companionship. And perhaps…perhaps if everyone wanted nothing to do with him because of the Kyuubi…well then…then he might as well accept it.

Naruto sat and watched the sun rise, blue orbs glistening as the first rays of yellow light hit his face.

Kyuubi…

He remembered its power, remembered the blistering heat that had flowed through his body. He remembered the crimson chakra that had split open his opponents and remembered the feeling of blood splashing over his face.

It had scared him and he'd had nightmares for days, the nights filled with the faces of the people he'd killed under the influence of Kyuubi's concentrated rage. The Kyuubi had granted him power in spades, easily accessible and incredibly intoxicating. But it had been uncontrollable.

With all the power at his disposal and his reserves of infinite chakra, he still wasn't able to protect those closest to him. Sasuke could have easily died that day. Sakura did. And drunk off the power of Kyuubi, he'd almost killed Kakashi-sensei. Though there was a demon stuck inside him, what good was it if the power came too late or at too high of a cost? What good was the power of a millennium old demon if it could not be controlled?

Naruto leaned back against a training stump, drawing his legs under him, fabric of his black clothing rustling as he did.

Power was the answer and yet it wasn't, he concluded, half lidded gaze staring into the sky. He needed control, control of Kyuubi and himself. He needed the power to be there at his beck and call, needed it be tamed. And for once, Naruto knew how.

Closing his eyes to the world, Naruto let out a deep breath. The Kyuubi had come to him while unconscious and while he was in no way eager to be knocked out, Naruto reasoned that meditation, as shoddy as he was at it, was a close enough way to get in contact with the demon within.

He pictured the cage in his mind, the massive iron bars keeping the beast at bay, the dim, red light that flickered in the chamber, the dripping of water and the musty smell that permeated the room. He remembered it roughly, not quite completely clear, but enough to imagine the fox towering over him, its chakra bubbling as if alive, staring down at him with a slit yellow eye.

And then thoughts blossomed into reality. Naruto opened his eyes.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

The massive jaws of the Kyuubi loomed over him, its maw open, fangs glistening dimly in the crimson light of the seal.

"**So you've decided to grovel before me once again, ningen?**"

Naruto looked up as the Kyuubi's loud, booming voice blasted over him. The demon was sitting on its haunches, eyes narrowed as it looked down at the infinitely smaller Naruto. It gave a low snort, easing itself down, face pressed against the metal bars of the shinigami's seal.

"**Though I sense no battle, no reason for you to come here**", Kyuubi said, question hanging in the air, "**What do you desire now human**?"

Naruto looked up at the entity of chakra, eyes trailing over its sleek, ruby colored fur, coming to rest on its yellow, bloodshot eyes. It was intimidating. This was the Kyuubi no Kistune, the most powerful of the tailed demons, one with an almost infinite supply of chakra, of power. And right now the blonde was entertaining thoughts of asking, no demanding for power, for control? What was he thinking?

Steeling his resolve, noting the Kyuubi's impatient rumbling, Naruto spoke.

"I need help Kyuubi", he started, "I need to control myself, I need to control your chakra. I need the power to protect those around me."

His words were rushed, barreling out quickly in a flood of emotion and even Kyuubi had to raise a demonic eyebrow at the jumbled mess. But Naruto didn't back down, eyes fixed on Kyuubi's own. The demon fox looked at him for a long moment before replying in a low voice.

"**The power… Yes, the power"** he rumbled, **"The control. My power. Freedom to use it. You think that it is the only way to protect those around you human. You want that, do you**?"

Naruto did not dare to speak, only nodding in assent as the Kyuubi's narrowed eyes rested on the blonde for what felt like eternity. Silence stretched between the two and after a while, Kyuubi scoffed, turning his head away, voice a low growl as it spoke again.

"**Then you are more foolish than I have observed**."

The blonde was taken aback for a second, processing the Kyuubi's words. Foolish? How was he foolish? He was trying to protect his precious people dammit! Something he'd already failed to do. Narrowing his eyes, Naruto glared at the fox.

"What do you mean? How does wanting to protect my precious people make me foolish?" he said, anger leaking into his tone. Thankfully the Kyuubi chose to ignore it instead, eyes flashing as he fixed the blue eyed boy with a strange look.

"**I have seen many older and wiser than you fall to the intoxication of a demon's power, to the lure of "control". And though I do not entertain the thought of being contained here forever, I don't intend to die because my host is ignorant of what can befall those who take the promise and draw of power lightly**."

Naruto was about to protest, about to tell the demon that he _could_ handle the power, that he could be trusted to control both himself and the demon. But the look in the Kyuubi's eyes, a look so different from a beast of chaos, a look that was old and weary struck Naruto cold. The fox shifted in its jail, lowering itself to the floor of the room, its voice a throaty, tired rumble as it spoke.

"**I am not a mindless being, nor am I a fool. I know what you desire human, I know what lurks in your heart. And my answer is no.**"

Massive tails of chakra flickered somewhere in the dark behind Kyuubi as it stared at Naruto. The boy's face might as well have been carved with stone, features still as the Kyuubi's words echoed in the chamber.

"**I have seen the lust for power within you, ningen. And I have seen you tell yourself no many times. But always, in times of despair I know you wish for the power, you hunger for it, thinking that it can be your salvation. No matter how much you lie to yourself and say you merely want the control, I know the truth. And I will deny you at every turn.**"

Naruto was silent, fists clenched at his sides. So...Kyyubi knew. The demon knew the dark thoughts that lurked in him from time to time, knew what Naruto had wished for on his worst nights, knew what the darkest parts of his heart wanted. But who wouldn't? What orphan, bereft of a family, lacking the natural talent so many others had and the support base of so many other ninja, wouldn't want that? What abandoned, friendless orphan wouldn't want power? What had happened that day on the bridge had only made these feelings stronger, and they had reared deep within him, making themselves known once more. And of course the Kyuubi had known, how could he have not?

He told himself he wanted the control…the self-control to do what he could. But always the lingering thoughts in his head talked to him. What if, what if, what if? What if he'd had Kyuubi's chakra earlier on that bridge? What if he'd bathed himself in that crimson energy sooner? Would Sakura still be alive today?

And in the darkest of his nights, lying awake in his bed, Naruto asked himself these questions. And the voices whispered back to him, yes, yes it could have happened, it should have happened. And though Naruto would tell himself no, would tell himself not to dwell on 'what ifs' and hypotheticals, there was always a nagging feeling inside him asking the same questions over and over again.

And the Kyuubi had seen through it all.

Swallowing hard, Naruto's face tightened. Under Kyuubi's narrowed eye, the blonde prepared himself for ask another question, somewhat more hesitant that before.

"Then if…if you won't give me the power, is there something you can teach me? Anything?" said the boy, tone uncertain. Kyuubi merely looked at Naruto before scoffing, resting its giant maw on a front paw before asking a question of his own.

"**Feh, and what would I, the mightiest of demons have to teach someone like you**?"

Naruto paused, thinking for a moment, desperately wracking his brain for an answer suitable for the demon.

"Well, you've been around since the dawn of ninja arts…right? Isn't there something, anything that you could pass onto me?"

The Kyuubi scoffed, fixing a single eye on the boy.

"**Your grasp of your so called "ninja arts" is pitiful and you lack the intelligence and discipline to train with even an iota of my power**."

The fox shifted, eye still on Naruto, voice taking on a grudgingly respectful tone.

"**Though**", the demon digressed, "**You do have the tenacity and the willpower. And though even the simplest things escape your grasp, even I can see you contain the drive and the motivation to succeed where those in the past did not**."

These words brought Naruto up short and after a moment there was an expression of confusion plastered on his face.

"What?! The past? What do you mean?" he all but screamed, looking up at the massive demon.

Kyuubi's booming laughter echoed in the chamber.

"**Do not think yourself so special as to be my first container, insect!"**

Naruto looked shocked for a reason the Kyuubi could not fathom. The blonde in question was trying to reason with himself over the apparent fact that his hero, the Yondaime, was not the first to seal the Kyuubi away, perhaps not even the second or the third. Naturally, the blonde protested.

"But jiji told me that you had never been sealed before, that no one had ever figured a way to stop you, that it was impossible! Why would he lie to me?!"

The Kyuubi merely looked miffed, choosing to growl at the boy as his voice became louder and louder.

"**Silence! I do not presume to know the thoughts of the old monkey you call jiji, but understand that my knowledge far surpasses his own in the affairs of demons. The pitiful monkey you call the Yondaime was not the first to seal me, nor was he ingenious in his method of doing so."**

"But, but, the Yondaime was the foremost expert on sealing! He was a prodigy, a genius! How could you say that-"

Naruto was cut short in his protests by a roar from the jaws of the Kyuubi.

"**Do no presume to lecture me of things you know nothing about!"**, glowered the demon, temper rising, ** "I am far older and far mightier than you could ever hope to be human. Do not test my patience**! **Now, be silent and let me speak, for I do not wish to entertain your foolishness any longer.**"

Naruto fell silent. Fixing the blonde with one last look, the Kyuubi continued, vulpine face coming to rest on its paws once again.

"**I will not teach you."**

At this Naruto looked ready to protest, but a quick flash of Kyuubi's eyes brought the blonde to heel and he wisely shut his mouth

"**You have not yet earned my respect ningen", **he continued**, "You are merely a boy, lost in a world where you foolishly think you can survive. If not for my latent healing abilities, you would be dead many times over**."

The Kyuubi's nine tails waved lazily behind him.

"**You are nothing right now human, not even a ninja. You know nothing of death, of survival, of what your kind needs to be able to do. You are blind. You are naive. The hardships you have lived through and the deaths you have seen mean nothing to me. In the grand scheme of things, they are merely droplets of rain in an ocean**. "

The Kyuubi looked Naruto dead in the eye, red and yellow meeting blue.

"**Come back to me when you are a force to be reckoned with, when you can stand on your own two feet without my power. No demon in Makai ever rose to the top by groveling at the feet of their betters, begging for power. My host, the host of the Kyuubi no Kitsune will learn this as well.**"

My host… Naruto looked down and let the words ring in his ear. If these were the kitsune's conditions, he would learn. He would follow this advice and take it to heart and remember it. Faced with the cold, hard truth, he knew…

"**When you have learned what being a killer is, when you truly understand, when you have discovered life and grasped power in your own hands, then and only then come to me. My time will not be wasted**. **Do not bother me with your drivel again**."

Naruto nodded, fists squeezing tightly together.

"Fine."

He'd learn on his own, stand on his own two feet. He wouldn't use the Kyuubi as a crutch. He would mature and become strong without it. He would learn from the kistune's words, just like he learned from Haku's…

The Kyuubi stared at the blonde, whose own eyes were downcast. He watched Naruto nod to himself, fists unclenching. The blonde looked up at him once again and the fox could see the determination etched on his face. Perhaps he would learn. Perhaps…

"**Be gone**."

With these two words and a flare of its own demonic chakra, Naruto was cast from the Kyuubi's domain, body flickering and then disappearing into this air. Silence followed and after a moment the kitsune turned, slinking back into the darkness of its chamber, settling against the floor. The fox lowered its head, thoughts of a woman with flaming red hair lingered in its mind.

'**Hmph, just like his mother. Brash and stubborn. But perhaps he will succeed where no one else did**…'

Silence.

"Well,"

Kyuubi's eyes snapped open, blood orange orbs flashing.

"That was a bit harsh don't you think?"

Kyuubi's eyes narrowed at the sudden sarcasm filled voice, nine tails writhing around him and he swung his gaze to a corner of his cell. Kyuubi stared at the writhing, human shaped shade of chakra for a moment.

"**So you've returned,**" rasped the demon,** "After the thrashing you received earlier, I'd have thought you'd learned your lesson**."

A shrug, dim chakra flickering. A raw voice.

"You know how I am,_ I never give up_."

Kyuubi's eyes narrowed and its maw opened wide.

"**You are merely a pretender**."

A throaty chuckle.

"You can't stop me forever. He's a mirror image of m-"

Nine tails of demonic chakra were a blur in the raspy voice was cut off abruptly.

The sound of quiet dripping echoed throughout the seal.

The demon fox shifted, eyes scanning over the entirety of the cell before lowering its head.

Silence once again.

* * *

'…never trust anyone…'

Naruto stirred.

'…stand on your own two feet…'

Slowly, the blonde cracked one eye open. Blue orbs met the yellow rays of the sun in a quick succession of blinks. The sun was rising higher and higher and with a start Naruto realized his jaunt into the den of the Kyuubi had taken longer than expected.

"Heh, figures. Damn fox taking all of my time…"

Stretching, the blonde got to his feet, shaking the stiffness from his body. If there were any lessons to be learnt from the past couple months, Naruto knew he'd picked the right ones. Never trust anyone. After the battle with Haku and then coming back to Konoha and having his own comrades turn on him, Naruto could take this one easily to heart. Speaking with the Kyuubi and almost begging it for power was a most humbling experience. For a while, Naruto had forgotten that he'd been talking to the most powerful construct of chakra known to man. He'd had to audacity to lie to the Kyuubi's face for power. He'd come to the Kyuubi expecting to gain something.

And he had been completely and utterly shot down. Stand on your own two feet. Don't rely on the power of others. And Naruto intended to do just that. He would forge his own path, walk his own road with his own strength, not strength on loan to him from the Kyuubi. But he needed people to guide him, show him the way, because Naruto had the scarcest of resources available. He needed a team. But…it was looking like that was possible less and less.

His mind drifted for a moment, first to Kakashi and then to Sasuke.

'Sasuke…'

The Uchiha really hadn't taken the revelation that the mightiest of bijuu resided in his teammate very well. And being completely honest with himself, Naruto wasn't surprised. Who hadn't heard the stories of the slaughter and chaos the fox had caused? It was a cold truth and one that Naruto was very familiar with.

But if it came to Sasuke refusing to work with the demon container, then Naruto had no choice but to accept. He'd wished it could work. He really did. After all, they'd already lost Sakura, and after their fleeting show of solidarity they'd had the night before, already the team was splintering uncontrollably. Unless Sasuke had a miraculous change of heart, then perhaps the future of the remainder of Team Seven was already lost and with it, Naruto's hopes and dreams for companions.

How was he supposed to progress, how was he supposed to learn with a dysfunctional team? With a teammate that seemingly despised him even more than before?

"Mou, you know you're a surprisingly hard genin to find, Naruto."

A lazy voice drifted through the air, knocking Naruto from his reverie. Naruto's eyes snapped to the tree line, where one silver haired jounin was casually leaning against a mighty oak, redressed in his flak jacket, midnight black attire now absent. Said jounin gave a small wave, pushing off the tree with his shoulder after catching Naruto's attention.

"I don't suppose you've been out here all night?" said Kakashi as he neared the blonde, looking at him with a curious eye.

Naruto snorted, sitting back down and slumping against the training post as the one eyed jounin approached.

"I think you know the answer to that", was his reply. Kakashi merely 'hmmed', leaning against the wood post and peering down at his student.

"Mah Naruto, you haven't been hiding have you? You know, they say running away from your problems leads to more in the future", pointed out the jounin. Naruto chuckled, responding quickly.

"Yeah Kaka-sensei, but 'they' never had Kyuubi stuck inside em, ne?"

Kakashi's facemask creased in a small smile, visions of a loud mouthed, fiery redhead filling his mind. 'Oh, if only you knew Naruto.' The jounin folded his arms, humming in agreement and silence fell between teacher and student.

"So", started the blonde, breaking the silence, "Who was she?"

The silver haired let the question float through the air before exhaling slowly, a long sigh escaping from his chest. He should have known this would come up sooner or later. And, well, it was no time like the present to stop running.

Reaching into his pocket, Kakashi pulled out a battered brown wallet. Conscious of Naruto's gaze, he flipped it open, creased it back and handed it down to the boy. Naruto took it in his hands, eyes sliding over the picture of three children as Kakashi spoke.

"That was my team. Me, Uchiha Obito and Nohara Rin."

It was a faded picture, crinkled with time and sprinkled with blood. 'But still unmistakably Kakashi-sensei', thought Naruto. The face mask, the silver hair, everything except the height and the loss of an eye.

"Rin", Kakakshi continued, "had an obsession with me that rivaled even Sakura's for Sasuke. But yet she never let it get in the way of work. She was the mediator between Obito's hot headed personality and my aloofness. Though she was the medic of our team, she was no sluff in combat. And", Kakashi tapped his headband, "She was the one who transplanted my eye after we lost Obito. Ironically, or maybe not, that battlefield procedure she performed is now called a "Rin Operation"".

The copy nin smiled sadly as Naruto stared at the picture, eyes tracing over the girls features. She was quite attractive, brown hair and soft brown eyes, and if he squinted the right way, he could definitely see the facial resemblance to Sakura. Handing the picture back to his sensei, Naruto had but one question on his lips.

"What happened to her?"

There was a long pause and Kakashi started slowly.

"Well", he said, "A mission in Mist territory went horribly wrong. And because she had something they wanted…she died."

The copy nin fell silent and Naruto had enough sense to not pressure him.

"Her sister, Nohara Mebuki, now Haruno Mebuki who you met earlier, is Sakura's mother. We have a somewhat…strained history together. She blamed my sensei and me for her sister's death and now she blames me for her daughters. And in both instances, she could be right."

Naruto's head snapped up, eyes latching onto the jounin.

"Don't say that sensei!" he cried, "You know what happened wasn't your fault."

Kakashi 'hmmed' at his blonde student's words.

"But yet", he countered, "It's all my responsibility. As my sensei used to say, those who abandon their comrades are trash. And I, in my sloppiness, abandoned you three."

"What did you say to her Kaka-sensei?" questioned the blonde.

Kakashi tapped his facemask.

"Hmm", he started, "I told her that I understood she was grieving and that sometimes emotions get the best of us. I then proceeded to tell her in no uncertain terms, the next time she insulted my student in front of me, and the next time she brazenly broke the Sandaime's law, as a jounin sensei and a ninja of this village, I would kill her where she stood.

Kakashi glanced down at Naruto, who was gaping at him, mouth wide.

"Mah, mouth closed Naruto, don't want to catch a fly do you?" he said gently. The blonde, flushing red, quickly snapped his mouth shut.

"Thanks Kakashi-sensei."

The jounin merely waved him off, a gloved hand gliding through the air.

"Don't mention it Naruto. It is my duty to protect my students, from threats foreign and at home."

Kakashi placed the wallet back into his pocket, shoving his hands in as he did.

"So I probably shouldn't ask if Sasuke has come to talk to you", questioned the jounin, turning the conversation to new territory as eye wandered to the far tree line. At his words, Naruto eyes dimmed, sadness leaking into his face.

"Not yet sensei."

"Hmm", replied jounin. Naruto looked up at him.

"Why do you ask?"

Kakashi cocked his head slightly, eye still fixed on the tree line.

"Well don't look now", commented the jounin lightly, hand motioning to the shadows of the trees, "But here he comes."

Naruto head whipped to the side, neck cracking as it did as his eyes peered into the tree line, where a lone Uchiha Sasuke was slowly making his way toward the duo.

"Hmm, I think I'll let you boys sort this one out by yourselves", said the cyclops, pushing himself off the training post as Sasuke got within earshot.

"I expect I'll see you both tomorrow morning at training ground seven." Eye smiling at the two boys the jounin departed with a few last words.

"Don't be late!"

A swirl of leaves later and he was gone, leaving his two students in an awkward silence.

Naruto looked up at the raven haired boy who quickly averted his eyes. Naruto looked away as well, tearing his eyes from the other boy. What could he say? What could be said?

"Dobe", the word was quick from Sasuke's lips and Naruto whipped his azure eyes back, meeting the black ones of Sasuke. Ever blunt and to the point, the young Uchiha continued.

"Why didn't you tell us?" '_Why didn't you tell me?_'

Naruto honestly didn't know what to say. Why didn't he tell his team? Of course Kakashi had already known. But why hadn't he let Sakura and Sasuke in on his little (big) secret?

"Why didn't you tell us that the Kyuubi is inside you?"

That froze Naruto to the core. He knew Sasuke wasn't stupid, hell he was the rookie of the year. But to hear him come out and say it like that…

Oblivious to Naruto's inner turmoil, Sasuke ploughed on.

"I went through my father's private records, to the records of the day the Kyuubi attacked. It's the only demon that's been within Konoha for decades. The Yondaime sealed it in you, why didn't you tell us?"

That was the most Naruto thought he'd ever heard Sasuke say in one breath. And so he said as much, just to lighten the mood a little, but the stony expression on Sasuke's face never changed.

"Why not dobe? Did you not trust us?"

Naruto looked at him incredulously.

"Of course I didn't trust you!"

At these words, Sasuke reeled back slightly, memories haunting his mind. His father hadn't trusted him either…

"You two barely knew me! Sakura-chan pretty much hated me and you outright ignored me, how was I supposed to break it to you both that I had the strongest demon on the planet stored away inside my body?"

Naruto continued on, breathless and Sasuke listened in silence.

"I was afraid! I finally had a team, people to actually talk to. And if the most I got was beatings from Sakura and scorn from you, at least you both acknowledged me! I wasn't about to break our new relationship with something like that!"

The blonde was gesturing wildly with his hands.

"But now that you know I guess the ruse is up! I understand if you're like everyone else and don't want to be on the same team as a demon, I don't blame you. Just tell Kakashi-sensei that you withdraw or you don't want me on the team, I'm sure he can work something out."

Sasuke's eyes widened. No, no, this was not the way the conversation was supposed to go. But before he could get a word in Naruto rambled on.

"Matter of fact, just tell jiji, I'm sure he'll understand-"

"Dobe-"

"-and put me somewhere else, he's had to do it before!"

"Baka-"

"What would be different now that I'm a shinobi?!"

"Naruto!" yelled Sasuke.

Naruto's rambling cut off, eyes wide at Sasuke's scream. The Uchiha looked at him tiredly.

"Shut up. I don't care", he said exasperatedly. "I don't care if you have a demon. It's just a tool, like my sharingan."

Naruto's jaw dropped, but Sasuke ignored it and kept talking.

"I'll admit it was shocking, but I'm over it. I just wanted to know why you didn't trust us enough to tell us. And now I know. So it's over. You can stop gaping like a fish and breathe now dobe."

Naruto was slack jawed. The hell was just happened? One second he was ready to quit the team and the next second Sasuke was telling him that he didn't care about the freaking Kyuubi no Kitsune stuck in his stomach?

Naruto's mind was officially blown.

"You, you, but, I thought!" he spluttered. Sasuke just sighed.

"I don't care dobe. We're still a team. Now stop it, you're getting spit on me" said the Uchiha, turning his way away to dodge Naruto's spittle.

Naruto slumped back against the training post, fingers curling through his hair. This wasn't a dream right? Someone his age was accepting him even though they knew about the Kyuubi? Naruto stared up at the sky. Perhaps Kami had noticed him after all.

"Are you done now dobe?"

Naruto just looked at boy for instant before his face split into a large smile.

"Yeah teme, I'm done."

Sasuke snorted, stretching his arms, a smirk on his face.

"Good", he said, "Because you're blubbering was starting to get on my nerves."

Naruto's glared at him.

"Wh, why you!"

The two boys proceeded to scuffle.

And from the shadows of tree cover, crouched on a sturdy branch, Kakashi smiled, chuckling to himself as he watched them.

They would be alright.

The two boys disentangled after a few minutes and Kakashi thought he could hear the raven haired boy ask the million ryo question.

"Did Kakashi tell us what time to meet him?"

The copy nin smirked as Naruto's jaw plummeted. No, in fact he hadn't. He'd just said morning, which meant that…

"We'll have to wait all morning for him! Dammit Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi smiled. Oh yes, they'd be alright.

* * *

Light filtered through the treetops, rays of sun making dappled patterns on the forest floor.

"So, I see you've both decided to join me."

The lazy voice of copy nin Kakashi was gone, replaced by a steel edge as he faced his two students.

"Good."

Sasuke and Naruto were seated on splintered logs facing Kakashi, faces drawn as they watched the jounin lazily twirl a kunai in the air, all traces of his little orange book missing.

"Starting now", continued the jounin, his voice like ice, "Is your true training as shinobi. I will break you, mold you, hone you to a keen edge and then push you beyond your limits. By the end of our time together you'll realize why I am feared throughout the shinobi world. You'll hate me. But you'll thank me when you live."

If Kakashi saw the slight apprehension on his students faces, he elected to say nothing.

"I won't ask if you're ready. You've already chosen to be here."

Reaching into his pocket, Kakashi pulled out two metallic objects that glistened in the sun.

Twin bells chimed in the forest and Naruto and Sasuke exchanged knowing looks.

"A little different this time, but still something familiar to start with. Take them from me and hold nothing back."

Kakashi lifted his headband. Three black tomoe spun slowly. He would make them strong. He would forge them into real shinobi, or he would kill them trying.

"Now, let's begin."

* * *

An: It's my birthday today, so I gift you with this chapter. As always, thanks to puffdadder! And thank you to everyone for reviewing! What do you think of this chapter? What about the Kyuubi? Any questions? Let me know. Review!


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